Can't heal this pain
by Death need not be the end of hope
Summary: Something is wrong with Vincent. He's become more secluded, even less talkative and, at times, aggressive. What's causing the enigmatic gunman so much pain? And how will Cloud be able to heal him?
1. Time doesn't heal every wound

Chapter 1:- Time doesn't heal every wound

"Good on ya' spiky!" Barret cheered, raising a bottle of wine he picked up from somewhere. Those who were holding a glass did the same.

"It wasn't just me. All of you helped. I couldn't have done it without you." Cloud said sheepishly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Watcha talkin' bout'? You did all the work!"

After the incidents with geostigma and Kadaj, all the Avalanche crew celebrating their victory over Sephiroth (again) as Cid flew the Sierra over the grassy plains below. Among the cheering group, one stood near a window, watching a herd of chocobos dashing across the grass, even though it was night and he couldn't see much. He was Vincent Valentine. He couldn't celebrate, not yet. For him, it seemed like his battle would never end. A beginning without an end, an end without a beginning. He had been fighting this battle for as long as he could remember. And yet no-one could help him, even though, after this long, he feared he was beginning to lose control. He needed to get away from Avalanche…before he did something he'd soon regret.

"You okay, Vincent?"

Vincent jumped slightly as he felt a hand press down on his shoulder. His crimson eyes met those of Cloud's. Cloud had a slight look of concern on his face. He had always known Vincent to very quiet and keeping to himself. But something seemed to be bothering him. Like something he had been keeping a secret from the group.

"Is it because Sephiroth was Lucrecia's son?" Cloud asked when Vincent didn't answer. Great. Another sin to add to his list of guilts. Through all of his thoughts, Vincent had somehow forgotten Sephiroth being the son of Lucrecia.

"………No…" Vincent answered after a moment. His gaze trailed to the metal floor of the Sierra. Cloud frowned. This wasn't like Vincent at all, even in his extremely monosyllabic moments. He leaned on the wall next to Vincent.

"Something's wrong…isn't there?" Cloud judged, more of a statement than a question. Vincent stayed silent, only his claw twitched. It was like he was resisting something. Cloud noticed this and decided to keep a close eye on him, just to be safe. But then, without saying anything, Vincent just walked away. Cloud hurried after him, he wanted answers.

"Vincent! What's wrong! Answer me!" Cloud called after him. The partying Avalanche crew stopped when they saw their distressed leader rush past them.

"Vincent!"

"Not…now…Cloud…!" Vincent literally growled through gritted teeth. He could feel his claw twitching ever so slightly.

"Just wait a second!" Cloud commanded, grabbing Vincent's war-torn cloak. Bad mistake. Cloud's sudden contact with Vincent in this mood seemed to trigger something. In a matter of mere seconds, Vincent whipped around and swiped at Cloud with his claw, making contact with his shoulder. Cloud fell to the floor; he looked up at Vincent with frightened eyes, into those menacing crimson ones. Vincent was making beast-like growls adding to the tension of the scene. Avalanche's celebration had officially stopped and all eyes were on the frozen two who remained in the hallway.

It took a few seconds for Vincent's senses to return. When they did, his eyes widened, realising what he had just done. Seeing Cloud staring up at him, eyes full of fear, and blood seeping from his shoulder.

"Cloud, I…" was all Vincent managed to say before he bolted to the stairs leading to the outer deck. Cloud picked himself up, despite his pain, and rushed after him.

"Vincent! Wait!"

Vincent ignored the voice the called him and kept running until he reached the outside, there, he had nowhere else to go. His eyes darted left and right, searching for a way out but there was none. Then the sound of footsteps came by his ears, and turning, he saw Cloud.

"What's gotten into you, Vincent?" Cloud asked, taking a step forward. Vincent took a step back in turn. His gaze looked downward. They were flying over a forest, and a very thick one at that. It was his only choice. He turned to Cloud.

"Please…don't follow me…" And with that he put his hand on the rail and swung himself over. Cloud felt his heart sink and his stomach churn. Was he nuts! Cloud dashed to the rail and looked overboard. Vincent was nowhere in sight. Without another thought he ran to the stairs, pushing through those who were coming up the, and into the control room. Cid had remained in the pilot's seat to drive the Sierra. He seemed quite content with flying aimlessly around and completely oblivious to the recent incidents.

"Land the Sierra!" Cloud commanded. Cid was shocked by both Cloud's instructions and his sudden appearance.

"What the f(k for!"

"Vincent jumped overboard! He could be hurt, we have to find him!"

"That crazy son of a b+(h!" Cid cursed, "Ya'll hang on, this is gonna be rough!"

It was rough. Cloud thought they were going to crash but they landed safely with a harsh "thud!" Cloud waited impatiently at the exit, waiting for Cid to open it and when he did Cloud rushed out without waiting for the rest of the crew.

Vincent staggered through the dense forest, cuts marking every inch of his skin. The fall had hurt…a lot! He was badly bruised and his dented metal arm gripped his broken human arm. But he did not care of his injuries or the pain they brought his mind was on one thing only…

What was happening to him?

Why had he lashed out at Cloud? Was he losing control of himself? Losing control of his never-ending battle?

Or…did he really want to hurt Cloud? To feel his hands ripping and tearing at Cloud's flesh, to taste his blood, to hear his screams, to-

"What am I thinking!" Vincent shouted, scaring away small near him. He broke out in a cold sweat. He was scared of himself, of the damage he could do. He didn't want to hurt anyone…did he?

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice calling his name. A voice he knew all too well. Instantly, he hid in some bushes near the person.

"Vincent!" Cloud repeated, unaware that he was being closely watched. Half of Vincent's mind was telling him to keep hidden and slowly sneak away. The other half, however, had other plans.

Cloud stopped and whipped around as he heard a low growl from behind him. Seeing nothing, he continued his search but stopped yet again as he heard another. As quick as a flash, a force appeared out of nowhere and pushed him to the ground. Regaining his senses, he looked up to a beast-like silhouette. He couldn't see the figure clearly, save for the glowing scarlet eyes, until the moonlight pressed against it.

"Vincent?"

"I told you not to follow me!" Vincent's voice was raspy and had a tinge of a beast growl to it. Cloud noticed he was injured, but at least he survived the fall.

"How did you survive the-"

"SILENCE!"

Vincent's movements were quick and agile, too quick to be human. Before Cloud had a chance to register, Vincent's claw had pierced into his chest and pinned him against a tree. Cloud gripped the cold, bronze metal, trying desperately to pry it off but Vincent only sunk his claws deeper.

"Vincent…" Cloud gasped, "This isn't you…you're being controlled…Chaos is trying to control you…"

Vincent was silent. Had Cloud gotten through to him? Obviously not. Vincent merely smirked. A grin of evil that sent shivers down Cloud's spine.

"That's where you're wrong." Vincent growled slowly and menacingly. He pulled Cloud off the tree, held him air born for a few seconds, and then slammed him into the ground. Cloud gasped for breath as blood spilled out of his wounds and stained his clothes.

"Those petty demons of mine have nothing to do with the state I'm in." Vincent added. Cloud regained his breath and gripped his chest tightly.

"Then what is it?"

"My urge to kill…my thirst for blood…I've been fighting them off for too long!"

Cloud managed to prop himself up on his elbows.

"But why, Vincent?" He asked.

Vincent glared at him, "Have you ever truly experienced pain, Cloud?"

Cloud thought for a moment. Did he mean mental pain or the kind where you stub your toe on a table leg?

"To have your life, your very soul, taken from, to watch the one person you love die in front of you, to have the bastard who killed her shoot you, the perform horrible experiments on you! What about sleeping and being trapped in a musty old coffin for 30 years, having nightmares each and every night and day about people fearing you, hearing their screams and calling you a monster, only to wake and realise that nightmare is reality! What about my arm, Cloud! People take one look at this…this…thing and run! Have you ever felt this pain, Cloud?" Vincent shouted. Cloud was stunned. He stared at Vincent and saw something glisten in his eyes.

"I…I didn't know…" Cloud stuttered, feeling a weakness in his heart.

"You wouldn't!"

Cloud could see that it pained Vincent to speak of his tormented past. Every scar on his body told a tale of torture. And yet no-one in Avalanche knew. As a leader, Cloud felt it was his duty to look out for his team-mates and help them with their trouble, now he felt he'd violated those duties.

"Hey! They're over here!" A voice called. Vincent's claw twitched again as he let a monstrous roar escape his throat, one that only a beast could make. Barret began shooting at Vincent's feet while Cid lunged at him with his spear.

"Back off ya' traitor!" Barret warned. Vincent was smart. He knew he couldn't take on the whole Avalanche crew by himself, especially when he was injured. Reluctantly, he retreated into a denser part of the forest.

"Hey! I ain't done wit' you yet!" Cid snarled, chasing after Vincent.

"Stop, Cid!" Cloud ordered. Cid obeyed but not without complaint.

"He was trying to kill you! You're just gonna let the bastard-"

Cloud put up a hand to silence him, "Leave him."

"Cloud! You're bleeding!" Tifa shrieked when she and the rest joined them.

"It's nothing." Cloud said dully, still phased by Vincent words. Tifa didn't believe him, but she knew there was no point arguing, that would just be a waste of time and breath.

"Let's get back to the Sierra." She said, helping Cloud to stand. Cloud trailed his gaze to the spot Vincent once stood. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, but it was true, all of it.

"Vincent…" He murmured, "…I'm sorry…"


	2. Dances with wolves

Howdy ya'll. Okay, firstly feel free to throw any objects in your hands after you read this( but no leeches, yeech i hate them soooooooo much) cause i really stuffed up one this one. And secondly, i didn't put this in the first chap but...

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN FF7...**i'd like to though...

Now, ONWARDS!

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Chapter 2:- Dances with wolves

Later that night, in fact almost dawn, Cloud lay wide-awake in his bed.

"_Have you ever felt this pain, Cloud?"_

These words still haunted his mind, preventing any sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Vincent. He was injured when Cloud last saw him, what if now he was- no, don't think of that! But still, if he got anymore hurt…

"I can't take this anymore!" Cloud whispered to himself, sitting up and sliding out of his bed, straining slightly because of his wounds, "I need to find him."

Deciding to have a shower later, he undressed from his pyjamas, picked at the uncomfortable bandages wrapping his wounds, and dressed in his usual daywear. He packed a bag with all the necessary things (material, potions, a bit of food) and left his room, grabbing his sword on the way. Then was the gruelling task of trying to open the exit while sneaking past a snoring Cid (who was still in the pilot's seat) and not waking anyone up. It took at least ten minutes to complete this task.

As he stepped towards the exit, he felt as though he was being watched. Being the alerted woman she was Tifa had discovered Cloud's plan.

"You're going to find him, aren't you?"

Cloud didn't answer. What could he say, 'I'm going after an out-of-control, extremely dangerous ex-Turk who tried to kill me'? And on top of that, by the tone of Tifa's voice, she didn't fully trust Vincent. Her and the rest of Avalanche.

"He tried to **kill** you, Cloud."

As if he needed a reminder. It seemed like Tifa was trying to persuade him not to search for Vincent, like she just wanted to forget about him altogether. But no matter how many people wanted to leave Vincent, Cloud couldn't forget what Vincent said to him. He was going to find him…regardless of what the others say! His mind was made up.

"Tifa," He sighed, "Have any of us really understood Vincent?"

There was a long pause while Tifa thought. She couldn't quite comprehend what Cloud meant.

"Have any of us really understood how much he's been hurting?"

"I don't see how his injuries from the-"

"I don't mean that!" Cloud said, not noticing that he raised his voice. Tifa was slightly taken aback. Cloud's gaze drifted to the darkened sky outside. It was slowly but surely getting the tinge of light as the sun rose. He watched the greyish clouds floating across the sky for a few minutes before he sighed and turned to Tifa.

"If I explain, will you let me leave at dawn?"

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Hatred. That's all Vincent could feel. No pain, no sadness…just a hatred that threatened to overcome him and change him into the monster that all of humanity feared. Hatred to Hojo who made him into this said monster, hatred to humanity for the constant reminder of the burden he carried and hatred to Avalanche for…for…he didn't know what for! He just hated them! All of them!

At these thoughts, a low growl escaped his throat as he trudged through the thick forest. He didn't know where he was going (where could he go?) yet he kept on walking and cursing the day he was born.

"_If humanity is so keen for a monster, then they'll get their-"_

"Uugh!"

Vincent sank to his knees, trying to grip his right arm and right side of his torso at once, as he felt as though they were burning. An unbearable searing pain, greater than what he felt when Chaos decided to play, surged up and down his arm and through his chest. His body flopped to the ground as he let out a cry of agony, mixed with the roar of an injured beast. His lungs suddenly gave way and he couldn't breathe. As he gasped for the air he so desperately needed, his vision began to darken and images began to blur. The last thing that met his eyes before they shut completely was what looked like a furry dark-grey fluff ball…

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"Is all this true?" Tifa asked Cloud, astonished at what she had just heard from Cloud.

"Yes. Vincent told me this last night, right before Barret and Cid chased him off." Cloud answered, his voice having a slight saddened tone in it as the words _"Have you ever felt this pain, Cloud?" _echoed in his mind. Tifa began to feel regret, knowing that just a few minutes ago, she had hated a man who even though tried to kill her childhood friend, also helped them to save the world from Sephiroth. If she had only knew his pain.

"He's been bottling up his pain and anger all this time, and never told anyone, so it just rushed out of him in an explosion of rage." Tifa concluded. Cloud merely nodded and looked out towards the sky again. It was nearing dawn now, and it was time for Cloud to make his leave. He stood up and started to walk out the Sierra's exit but Tifa grabbed a hold of Cloud's sleeve and held him back.

"Wait." She pleaded, "Let me go with you."

Cloud shook his head and loosened the grip Tifa had on him. Her wine-coloured eyes showed disappointment.

"Not this time. If I return without Vincent then you can come with me next time." Cloud assured and turned to leave. Tifa watched him until he was out of sight.

"Please find him, Cloud." She whispered to herself. She stared out into the misty green of the forest in the dawn light for a while, then decided to occupy herself with making breakfast for the others.

Meanwhile, Cloud had begun his search for Vincent. For a moment his mind trailed off to his surroundings. He could hear the soft whistles of the birds above as they talked, along with the occasional 'wark' of a chocobo. The crisp scent of the fresh morning air drifted past his nose. He breathed it in deeply and exhaled slowly, taking in every moment of it. It was almost like a dream where every corner of the planet was corrupt except in this tiny patch. It was so peaceful. But peace doesn't last. Not ever!

Cloud stopped dead in his tracks as the bushes in front of him began to stir and rustle. He watched it intensely, keeping a hand ready at his sword. Silence instantly fell as Cloud concentrated, his eyes narrow and hard. Suddenly, within mere seconds, a pack of large black wolves burst out, snarling and teeth bared. They didn't stop and rushed at Cloud who had his over-sized sword out ready and in his fighting stance. They neared as Cloud drew back his sword for an almighty swing.

_"Ready,"_ Cloud thought. 

"_3," _They were even closer…

"_2," _Almost there…

"…" Straight past Cloud…

_"HEY!"_

Cloud stared at where the pack of wolves exited the scene with one eyebrow raised and a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Ooooookay…that…was strange…" He concluded, replacing his sword on his back. He decided to follow them to see what they were up to, but they were fast and Cloud soon lost sight of them.

"Damn!" Cloud cursed

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_Lick, lick, lick…_

The moisture from a cool wet tongue brought Vincent back from the depths of unconsciousness. His scarlet eyes forced themselves open and his laboured breathing took in gulps of morning air, the chill of the breeze caressed his face, stinging his cuts.

"Unng…" He moaned, rolling himself into his back.

_Lick, lick, lick…_

A creature seemed to be licking his face. He turned his head and looked at the creature. It was just a small wolf cub. Figuring a creature this young wouldn't cause much harm, he scratched it behind the ears. It yelped playfully. Vincent couldn't remember the last time he touched something so soft. It was like stroking the fur of a brand new fuzzy teddy bear. For the first time in 32 years, he smiled, only slightly, but a smile is a smile. It soon disappeared as he heard growls and the rustle of leaves near him. He stood up quickly, stumbling from the pain that still lingered in his body. A dark grey wolf jumped out of the bush beside him, followed by three others a little smaller. The wolf at the front appeared to be the alpha wolf of the pack and the mother of the cub. She snarled at Vincent and bared his teeth. Vincent showed no fear and nudged the little cub to its mother. Her loud snarls turned to soft growls, then ceased. Vincent knew she did not want to harm him. She was only protecting her cub. They turned to leave. Vincent watched for a few moments, then turned in the opposite direction. He began to contemplate whether animals, such as those wolves, had more sense than humans did. But before he could dwell deeper into this thought, a wolf's cry was heard. Vincent turned quickly and listened carefully. There was nothing more. As he thought it was just a false alarm and went on his way, the cry was heard again.

He didn't know why, maybe it was the concern for the little cub, but he suddenly found himself dashing back to aid the wolves. He found the small pack of dark grey wolves being attacked by a pack of larger black wolves. The cub was cowering back as far back as it could while its mother and the three others were defending it. They were outnumbered six to four and none of them noticed when a rival wolf advanced on the cub. Vincent growled. A lot of people died for reasons he tried but couldn't stop. Hell if he was gonna let that happen again!

Before the black wolf even realised a human was there, Vincent had sunk his claw into it and thrown it at the rest. The largest black wolf, obviously the pack-leader, charge at Vincent, knocking him to the ground, then the rest of the black wolves followed suit. He wrestled furiously with the wolves, struggling to break free, and managed to slash the pack-leader across the eye, blinding it. In return, the 6 wolves, now piled on top of Vincent, began to sink their claws and teeth into him, puncturing his flesh and making his blood drip out. His body shuddered, and immense pain travelled throughout it. His bloodstained skin slowly but surely changed to purplish fur and horns protruded from atop his head. A tail grew as all his injuries began to heal and his roars became more ferocious. The grey wolves backed off, the cub hiding behind his mother's legs. Vincent angrily threw the black wolves off him, some of them hitting the trees around them, but he was no longer Vincent, he was the Galian Beast. His roars echoed between the trees as he flexed his claws. Eyeing the wolf that dared to attack the helpless cub, he lunged forward at it, slashing mercilessly at it. The black wolves were horrified and retreated, but the one that Galian had got to was lying motionless at his clawed feet. Seeing as the black wolves had been chased away, Galian's form changed back to Vincent. He breathed heavily, regaining his energy, and stared back at the dark grey wolves. He noticed that alpha wolf's eyes were the same colour as his. She could only stare back, unsure of what to think of what could be their new ally. There was a long pause as each stood their ground. It was only broken when the playful yelping of three more cubs came, the first little cub's brothers.

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A frustrated Cloud continued his search. About 10 minutes ago, he had seen a pack of dark grey wolves who ran past him, and just now he saw the same black wolves running and of course went past him. What was it, national run-away-wolf day? To be honest, he was starting to feel rejected.

"Stupid wolves," He grumbled, "Don't know a good opponent when they see one."

Of all the forests Vincent could have run into he had to pick one with fussy wolves and filled with countless roars like the ones he had heard earlier.

His complaining was interrupted by the sound of playful yelping and laughter. It couldn't be Vincent, he never laughed, but Cloud's curiosity got the better of him. He peeked at the scene from behind a tree and saw the same pack of dark grey wolves he saw before and…Vincent? At first glance, it looked as though the wolves were attacking him. Instinctively and hand went to the hilt of his sword. But on a closer inspection, Vincent seemed to be _playing_ with them. Wrestling, chasing, he was even laughing and smiling. This was something Cloud had _never_ seen or thought Vincent could do. To him, Vincent always seemed so cold. He watched them for a while and thought it would be a shame to spoil this moment. But the laughter stoped suddenly. Vincent stopped smiling and the alpha wolf's ears pricked up. Vincent growled and pushed the small cubs behind him, whisking off his cloak to hide them underneath. What had made them stop, Cloud wondered. Then he noticed Vincent was glaring in his direction. Had they seen him? Cloud shakily moved closer to the tree as a cold sweat dripped down his face. He knew what Vincent was capable of, with or without his three-barrelled gun, the Cerberus. But he wasn't glaring at him at all…more like what was behind him…

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DUMP-DUMP-DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMP!

Yes, it's a cliffhanger (and a sucky one at that) we all hate them yet we can't live without them.


	3. Death penalty

Just one note before we start, if anyone finds spelling mistakes, wrong grammer or somthing i screwed up in, tell me please. It always helps!

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Chapter 3:- Death penalty

"GRAAAAAAAHH!"

That's all Cloud heard before he crashed to the ground from being pushed by the same pack of black wolves that rejected him time and time again though it looked like they had been beaten up quite a bit and were missing a wolf. They went straight for Vincent (_"Great, they rejected me again!" _Cloud Thought) but the dark grey wolves intercepted.

_Were they protecting him…_

The black wolves had easily overpowered them and thrown them aside but Vincent lunged at them, preventing anymore harm.

…_Or was he protecting them?_

Vincent and the pack surrounded the cubs, making a protective shield around them. Four little pairs of eyes peeked out from under the cloak, looking completely terrified.

…_No…they were **both **protecting the cubs…_

The black pack-leader charged forward at the alpha wolf, who was distracted by another rival to notice. Fortunately Vincent had noticed and took the strike for her. He let out a pained cry and dropped to his knees. The alpha wolf snarled viciously and jumped in front of Vincent, her teeth puncturing the flesh on the pack-leader's neck.

…_And each other._

Cloud watched silently, amazed at how well they fought together. They couldn't have known each other long, yet they could match their attacks perfectly and before long the battle had been won. The black wolves hobbled away, whining and with deep injuries. They wouldn't be back again. The cubs crawled out from under Vincent's cloak and ran to their mother. They gave Vincent a concerned look as their mother licked his wound clean. Vincent gave each of the cubs a scratch behind the ears as if to say his wound wasn't that big of a deal. When the bleeding ceased Cloud decided it was time for him to return to the Sierra. Vincent was happy here, and Cloud didn't want to ruin it for him.

As Cloud left, Vincent heard a rustle of disturbed leaves and saw Cloud briskly walking away from them.

"_Had he been watching us that whole time?"_ He thought as he fastened his cloak around him.

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"Cloud should be back soon." Tifa said as she glanced at the clock while serving breakfast to Avalanche and herself. It was quarter to nine, early for some, late for others.

"Where did the lad say he was going?" Cait asked. He was sitting on top of Nanaki (who was eating a salad) and because of having a stuffed body, didn't need any food.

"Uh…he didn't…" She lied. It wasn't a total lie. Technically, Cloud _didn't _say exactly where he was going, just to look for Vincent, but she couldn't them the whole truth. If she did, Avalanche would probably go out and kill him before Cloud had a chance to find him.

"Whatever you say, Tifa" Yuffie said though her voice was muffled from the pancakes that where stuffed in her mouth. She always gorged herself with food when they weren't moving but when they were she'd hardly eat a crumb. Everyone knew it was because of her motion sickness.

"If I ever get my hands on that #!&$)(#," Cid cursed, "My spear's gonna taste his blood!" He took a mouthful of toast.

Barret swallowed the eggs in his mouth and claimed "Yeah? Well not before his blood tastes my bullets!

Tifa's fists clenched. She couldn't believe they were speaking of Vincent in this way.

"You're both wrong!" Yuffie stated, still with a mouthful of pancakes, she brandished her large shuriken, "I'm gonna kick his ass first!"

Tifa slammed her fists on the table and stood up. The room suddenly went quiet.

"That's enough! How can you say this about our friend?" Tifa shouted.

Cid finished off his toast and calmly said, "Tifa, he's **not** our friend. He betrayed us and now he's gonna pay the price."

Tifa's heart fell to her gut and her blood boiled. Her eyes narrowed and focused on the pilot.

Then, taking in a deep breath, she screamed, "YOU COLD HEARTED **BASTARD!**" and ran off to her room. Cid choked on the second piece of toast he was eating.

"Chew before you swallow, Cid." Cloud mocked as he walked in. Cid coughed and whacked his chest with his fist a couple of times.

"Did you hear what she jus' called me?" Cid screeched, standing up from his seat.

"Yeah, I did. Whaddya do?" Cloud asked in a bored tone.

"Nuthin'! We was jus' talking about Vincent."

Cloud's eye's narrowed. Knowing Cid, he probably said something upsetting.

"What did you say, Cid!" Cloud said slowly. His tone was vicious and Cid almost seemed afraid of him.

"I…I……………………………………………………………………..Gotta go!" Cid ran off, abandoning his toast. Cloud glared at the rest. Yuffie continued shoving pancakes in her mouth and pretended not to notice, Barret twiddled his thumbs while whistling a familiar tune, also not pretending not to notice, and Nanaki was being his usual calm self. Cait was just sitting there; obviously Reeve did not want to get involved. Cloud sighed.

"I better go see Tifa."

He made his way down the hallway and knocked on her door.

"GO AWAY CID!"

Yep. Cid screwed up big time.

"It's me, Tifa." Cloud called. Sounds of fabric being tossed and shuffled could be heard through the door. Tifa opened the door, only a few centimetres though, and made sure Cid wasn't anywhere around. When she was certain he wasn't there, she allowed Cloud to pass through. The door shut after him with a soft click.

"Did you find him?" She asked eagerly, wiping away a few tears in her eyes. Cloud nodded.

"And…" She pestered, wanting answers.

"He seems a lot happier. His injuries have somehow healed and he's made some new…'friends'" Cloud explained. Tifa looked confused.

"Come. I'll show you."

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"There! Do you see?" Cloud whispered to Tifa. They had sneaked out of the Sierra without alarming the others and were now sitting up a tree watching Vincent with the pack of dark grey wolves. He was sound asleep, probably exhausted from the recent battle, with the cubs snuggled comfortably in his blood red cloak. The alpha wolf had her head resting in his lap while the three younger wolves were curled up near her. They seemed so peaceful, just laying there, sleeping the early hours of the morning away.

"That's Vincent?" She looked surprised. She hardly ever saw Vincent sleep and was beginning to think he was an insomniac. If she looked closely enough at the sleeping form, she could see the slightest of smiles across his lips. It was as if he finally found where he belonged.

"_But he's not an animal,"_ Tifa thought, _"He's a human! He doesn't belong in the wild, he belongs with us, and…Avalanche…" _There was doubt in the last word as she replayed the conversation at the breakfast table in her mind. They wouldn't really kill him if they found him…would they? No! She wouldn't allow it! If she had to, she would beat some sense into their thickheaded skulls.

"Hey, what's wrong with him?" Tifa heard Cloud say. She returned his gaze back to Vincent. He was still asleep, but he had a pained expression on his face. His claw had moved from lying limp at his side to gripping tightly on the right side of his body. The alpha wolf sensed his discomfort and rubbed her head against his stomach. His grasp loosened but as another wave of pain swept over him, he was forced to grip even tighter. The alpha wolf awoke and tried to calm him by licking his face.

"Something's wrong! I'm going to help him!" Tifa stated. Before Cloud could protest, Tifa had clambered down the trunk of the tree and was tiptoeing silently towards Vincent. At first the alpha wolf hadn't noticed.

_SNAP!_

The alpha wolf snarled. Tifa looked down at her foot and saw a stick crushed beneath it.

_"DAMMIT!"_

Before she knew it, she had four vicious-looking wolves alerted at her presence and ready to pounce. One did, a younger wolf. In an instant, Cloud jumped down from the treetops. Vincent's trained ears picked up the sound of a heavy blade cutting the air and soon realised Cloud was about to harm the wolves. His eyes snapped open and he bolted in front of the wolves.

_CLANG!…………_

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You guessed it, another cliffhanger. I felt guilty for not updating for 2 weeks (i usually go for 1 update a week) and then throwing a cliffhanger at you guys, so i updated again...with another cliffhanger. Go ahead, throw stuff at me, but you can't denie the truth that we all need cliffhangers.


	4. Lone wolf

I won't bother ya with notes!

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Chapter 4: - Lone wolf

_CLANG-ANG-ANG!_

The sound of metal against metal echoed through the now silent forest. Vincent, now shaking from the force of the blow and the convulsing pain in his body, had his metal arm up. Cloud's sword, instead of cutting through the wolf, had fallen on Vincent's arm. The metal was too tough for Cloud's sword to cut all the way through, but it had left a nasty mark, revealing wires and circuitry inside when Cloud lifted it off. Cloud's eyes were wide. Vincent had risked his life to save that wolf. They had a stronger bond than he thought Vincent's eyes glanced at his arm, inspecting the damage, but returned it quickly to Cloud.

"Vincent…I…I didn't mean to-" Cloud started but was cut off when Vincent pressed his gun against Cloud's head. Tifa gasped.

"_He wouldn't!" _She shrieked in her mind. Vincent glared at Cloud with cold, hard eyes, his menacing appearance disrupted by his heavy breathing.

"Get out of here!" Vincent scolded. His voice was low and dark. It sent shivers down Cloud's spine. Cloud backed off slowly, putting his sword carefully in its sheath. Vincent moved his glaring gaze toward Tifa who was frozen in fear. When she didn't move Vincent pointed his gun at her. Her body still refused to move, even when Vincent's finger squeeze the trigger slightly. A small noise escape from Tifa, and Cloud could see she had no will to move. He hastily dragged her away and when Vincent lowered his gun a little, Cloud saw his chance to escape, dashing back to the Sierra with a firm hold on Tifa's wrist. Looking back, he saw Vincent doubled over, clutching his right side and gasping for breath. But no matter how much he wanted to, Cloud couldn't go back to help him. It was things like this, the feeling of helplessness, that tore him apart. Just like two years ago when he was helpless to stop Aries' death. He couldn't lose Vincent too.

"_Is this the pain that Vincent feels?" _He thought as Vincent began to disappear behind the forest foliage.

---------------

"Sir!" A ShinRa troop called, "Your ship is ready. You may leave if you wish." He reported, saluting to the new president of the ShinRa Company.

"Good! Let's leave then." He said, following the troop to their aircraft. The pilot and staff greeted them upon their arrival. The President handed the pilot a sheet of paper.

"Take me to these co-ordinates." He commanded. The pilot studied the paper, looking at hem strangely.

"But sir, this is in the middle of a forest!" the pilot said in surprise.

"I'm well aware of that." The president answered, "Now take me there."

The pilot paused, unsure of what business their president had in a forest.

"Yes sir!" He said.

The president smiled, _"It'll be great to see Cloud in person," _He thought.

---------------

Cloud was in Vincent's room on the Sierra. He was searching for something, anything, that could help him bring Vincent back or at leas explain what was wrong with him. But as he thought, there was hardly anything in Vincent's room, save for a few clothes, potions and materia in an oak cupboard and a desk with a few books on it.

"_I don't care for useless items that would only weigh me down." _He remembered Vincent saying, he gave a defeated sigh and sat down on Vincent's bed.

"_Why hadn't I noticed something was wrong sooner?"_ Cloud thought. If he had noticed, maybe all this wouldn't have happened. He could have been sitting here talking to Vincent right now but he was too stuck up to see are even asked how Vincent fel. Maybe al this was his fault.

At that moment, Nanaki trotted in the door, nails clicking on the floor, and sat in front of Cloud. Cait wasn't sitting on his back.

"Everyone's looking for you." Nanaki said. . Cloud's mind was on more important things than an ignorant crew.

"I don't care." Cloud replied coldly. A long pause followed.

It was broken when Nanaki said, "Tifa told me about Vincent." But Cloud remained silent. Nanaki frowned. He then stated to sniff around, first on the ground, then around Vincent's bed, and finally at his desk.

"I smell something. In there." He said, using his nose to point to the desk drawer. Cloud moved towards him and opened the drawer.

"What the…" Cloud said. Inside were long strips of dirty white cloths. They looked as if recently used about 2 or 3 days ago, but they were familiar to Cloud.

"Does Vincent have-"

"Cloud! You'll never guess who's here!" Tifa shouted from the hallway, bursting into the room and dragging him to the control room. Avalanche were talking to a man with dark hair and wearing a blue suit. Cait hung loosely in his arms like a rag doll.

"Hey Cloud!" He greeted with a wave, "Guess who's the new head of ShinRa!"

Cloud stared blankly at him for a moment, then asked, "Reeve? Is that you?"

Reeve smiled, "Yep!"

"So this is what you look like." Cloud said.

"You betcha. So I guess Vincent's still missing." Reeve noticed, looking at each one and seeing a member gone.

"Vincent…" Cloud murmured. He suddenly dashed to the exit while saying, "I need to do something. Be back later," to the others, picked up his bag a sword that he left there and left the Sierra.

"Wait for me!" Tifa called, chasing after him. the rest that were left behind looked dumbfounded.

"Should…we…follow…him?" Reeve asked slowly.

"Yeah…maybe we should." Barret answered. And so they did. But most of them didn't know the first thing about navigating so they soon got lost. Being fed up of aimlessly walking around, they found a small area to just sit and talk.

---------------

Meanwhile Cloud and Tifa were in a completely different area to Avalanche. When Tifa had caught up to Cloud, he had agreed to let her come with him. He did promise her after all.

"Why did suddenly rush out, Cloud?" Tifa asked, thinking it was a little strange for him to run off like that when Reeve had shown up.

"Vincent may be…" loud started but paused and searched for the right words. There was defiantly something wrong with Vincent and Cloud had a strong suspicion about something but he wasn't sure yet.

"…sick." Cloud finished.

"What do you mean? What is he 'sick' with?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. Just give me some time to figure it out." Cloud answered. Then he heard a noise not too far from their position.

"Get down!" He whispered, crouching behind some shrubs and pulling Tifa down. He pushed aside the flimsy branches of the shrub and revealed the area in front of them.

"It's Vincent." Tifa whispered to Cloud. Vincent was casually strolling through the forest on hi own, the wolves probably being back at the den, and was staring lazily at the sky through the forest's canopy. He would pass them soon, but Cloud wanted some answers and would have to confront him.

"Vincent!" He called, standing up from his hiding pot. Vincent growled and flexed his claw. He couldn't believe that after all this time Cloud was _still_ following him.

"I don't want to fight you. I just want some answers." Cloud explained. Vincent's tense body eased slightly but was still ready for an attack if needed. Tifa stood up as well, standing next to Cloud.

"What's wrong with your body? Why was it hurting so much before?"

"…"

"Does it have something to do with those bandages I found in you room?"

"…!"

"Do you have-"

Cloud was cut off by a loud howl close by. Vincent's attention targeted it as he faced the direction it had come from. For a moment everything was silent. But as the howl was heard again, Vincent bolted to its source. Cloud and Tifa exchange confused glances and decided to follow him. As they neared wherever it was they were going to, the sound of gunshots and snarling rang in their ears. Cloud readied his sword; certain there was trouble ahead, while Tifa slipped on a pair of black leather gloves. They entered the fray. The black wolves were back again but this time with an accomplice: a forest dragon.

"_Since when do wolves team up with dragons?" _Cloud thought. He studied the battle, they dark grey wolves had taken on the black wolves and Vincent had the task of taking down the dragon (hence the gunshots). The cubs were once again hidden under his cloak. The wolves were handling their fight well, but Vincent was having a tough time considering his recent injury. For the first few minutes he was doing all right but when the pain from his 'sickness' began to kick in, this time stronger than before. He slowed down significantly while trying to fight it off and nearly got caught in the dragon's fiery breath.

"Tifa! Take care of the cubs!" Cloud called to her and ran to help Vincent, who could now hardly stand up. The dragon's claw loomed over Vincent, threatening to crush him but a slash from Cloud's sword made it coil back. While the dragon recovered Cloud helped Vincent to his feet. The dragon, however, recovered quicker then he thought and its large head with its jaws wide open was advancing on them, ready to close on Cloud. He had not even a second to stare into what could've been the jaws of death, had he not somehow been forced to the ground. He was afraid to know what happened but when he looked at the dragon's jaws it only confirmed his fears. With his torso trapped in the razor teeth, legs sticking out on side of the menstruous jaws and from shoulders up sticking out the other, Vincent could only claw the dragon's snout in an attempt to free himself. His gun had fallen out of the holster. All Cloud could do was watch in horror as more pressure fell on his friend and Vincent's body suddenly go limp. The alpha wolf had seen it too and howled savagely as she charged and latched on to the dragon's neck. The younger wolves and even the cubs swarmed in to help protect Vincent. The dragon roared and thrashed his head, allowing Vincent to fall from its jaws. Cloud hurried to him. Deep puncture wounds marked his torso and Cloud figured he must have at least four broken ribs. He was still conscious but very weak and he managed to open at least halfway but his vision was terribly blurred. With Cloud's help he was able to sit up and he tried to make out what was going on in the battle. Blurry black objects were laying motionless on the ground and dark-grey objects, some big, some small, were being thrown about by a large green object. His vision cleared slightly and he could see more details, like the blood pouring out of the alpha wolf, the younger wolves and the cubs. All of them were on the ground, not moving, not breathing, nothing. Rage began to instantly fill Vincent, covering the agony from his wounds, telling him to kill! A roar louder than the dragon's escape from his throat and with inhuman speed, charged at rat the dragon and sunk his claw into a tender part of the dragon's neck. He then swung himself to the other side, twisting the dragon's neck in the process. A sickening snap could be heard as the neck bones twisted, broke or dislocated. Tifa made a disgusted face at the sound as a shiver went down her spine. Cloud stared at Vincent, awe and fear written all over his face. The black wolves were finally dead but the price of this victory was too great. When Vincent rage had subsided the energy that came with it evaporated and he was left to collapse to his knees. Cloud and Tifa were at his side before long but no mater what help they offered, Vincent refused.

"They're…all…dead…" he breathed out, surveying the corpses of battle, "…all of them…" he could hear soft whimpering from somewhere. Forcing himself to stand he located the source to be the dying alpha wolf and staggered to her.


	5. The Devil's feather

Chapter 5: - The Devil's feather.

Vincent kneeled next to the alpha wolf and held her limp body in his arms. 32 years ago, he could remember Lucrecia dying in her arms and his helplessness to stop it. History was repeating itself. The alpha wolf could see his sorrow and licked his face. They didn't need words to understand each other, a bond that not many had. Vincent ran his hand through her soft fur, his throat tightening. Their time together was short and cruel reality was already tearing him away from another he cared for. And the same feeling of helplessness conquered him as the scarlet eyes of the alpha wolf slowly closed. She gathered the remnants of her strength to lift up her head and nuzzle him against his cheek. Then she was gone. Silent tears fell from Vincent's eyes, dropping onto the alpha wolf's dark fur. He gently laid her body on the ground and began to leave the scene. Tifa started to go after him but Cloud stopped her.

"I thought those wolves could help heal his past. But now…" Cloud whispered sadly to Tifa. They watched him walk away from them, picking up his war-torn cloak on the way. But as he lifted it up, a dark-grey wolf cub, the first one he had seen, hobbled out of the bushes it had been thrown in. it was limping due to a broken leg and yelped to gain Vincent's attention. He saw its broken leg but kept on walking. Cloud was about to protest but when he saw Vincent return with two pieces of bark and a piece of vine, he realised Vincent's intentions. Vincent laid the cub on its side and sandwiched the broken leg between the two pieces of bark, holding them together with the vine. He checked to see that it was firm before wrapping the cub snugly in his cloak. Holding the bundle against his chest he began to leave again.

"Vincent." Cloud called. Vincent stopped but did not turn.

"Will you come back to Avalanche again?" Cloud asked. Vincent thought. What would be the point? Avalanche wanted him dead, he was a fugitive. There was no point in continuing Avalanche anyway, ShinRa was no longer killing the planet, meteor had been destroyed a long time ago and Sephiroth stopped twice.

"I can't. Not even if I wanted to." Vincent answered coldly.

"But…"

"Do not follow me this time." And with that, he left. Cloud and Tifa remained where they were. They knew Vincent was now in more pain than when all this started. Life seemed to play an endless game of torture with him. And yet he still managed to live it out.

"He's stronger than anyone I've ever met." Tifa said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." Cloud replied.

"You think we'll see him again?"

"I don't know?"

As they also turned to leave Cloud saw the Cerberus lying discarded on the ground.

"That's a good excuse to follow him!" He said hopefully, picking it up and throwing it in his bag, "Come on!"

---------------

The wolf cub nestled deeper into the soft fabric of Vincent's cloak. It knew it would never see its mother again but it also knew that Vincent would be there to protect it. Vincent stared out to a warm sunset. So much had happened in just a couple of days. It almost seemed impossible to have ever happened.

"There he is!"

Vincent had been cruelly thrown out of his thoughts by a sharp stabbing pain in his stomach, thrown at such force that it pinned him against a tree. The wolf cub had flown out of his hands and landed tangled inside Vincent's cloak.

"Ya' got 'im, Cid!" Barret said as he, Cid, Yuffie, Reeve and Nanaki appeared in front of him. Vincent gripped the spear, now pierced in through his flesh, with a shaky hand. But with how weak he was right now, pulling it out was an impossible task.

"Not so tough now are ya', traitor!" Cid mocked, pushing the spear further, making Vincent wince.

"Does he really deserve to die?" Reeve asked, concern showing on his face. Cid ignored him and gave the spear a sharp jerk, smirking at Vincent's cries of pain. His fate didn't look good.

"Hey! What's that?" Yuffie asked, pointing to the moving lump that was Vincent's cloak. They all stared at it, completely stunned by the fact that a lifeless piece of ruggered cloth was moving.

"_No! Stay in there! They'll kill you too!" _Vincent thought but much to his dismay the wolf cub shot out of the cloak and latched onto Cid's leg. Cid yelped in surprise and tried to shake off the cub gone mad. Vincent tried again and again to pull out Cid's spear but it was thrusted too far into his gut and the very last remnants of his strength were disappearing.

"_Come on Valentine, don't tell me your getting sloppy." _Vincent heard Chaos's mocking voice in his mind, _"You're too weak! Let me kill them."_

"_No! I don't need your help!" _Vincent hissed at the demon.

"_But look at what they're doing to your precious cub." _Chaos said in a cutesy mocking voice. Vincent removed his gaze from the spear and placed it upon Cid. Barret was roughly pulling on its hind legs to pry it off Cid's leg. It finally let go but bit into Barret's arm instead.

"Stupid !&$in' thing! GET OFF!"" Barret yelled, shaking his arm furiously. The cub couldn't hold on anymore and flung off Barret's arm, sending it flying through air. It landed in the arms of a certain spiky headed man, who glared menacingly at Cid and Barret. Tifa gasped when she saw Vincent and immediately ran to help him, only to be held back by Yuffie. Vincent strength had completely disintegrated and his body could only flop forwards, unable to fall to the ground from being pinned to a tree.

"_All right Chaos…you win…but don't kill anyone, just get the cub as far away as you can." _Vincent spoke in his head.

"_Awww, you ruin all the fun." _Chaos pouted. Cloud, who had forced his way through Avalanche, was next to Vincent and was pulling out Cid's spear. Vincent fell to the ground when it was out. Cloud turned to face Avalanche and began shouting at them and telling them off. He didn't notice a pair of blood red wings sprout from Vincent's back and cover his body. He didn't notice when Vincent's form began to change and his wounds heal. He also didn't notice when a demonic black figure raised from the ground. It was only when Reeve had stopped Cloud's lecture and pointed behind him did he notice Chaos was looming over them.

"Oooooooooh……………crap!" Cloud said, dropping Cid's spear.

"_GRAAAAAAGHH!" _Chaos roared, flexing his wings high above his head. He snatched the wolf cub from Cloud and grabbed Vincent's cloak (knowing he'd never her the end of it if he didn't). Barret shoved Cloud out of the way and stated shooting at Chaos but the bullets bounced harmlessly off his thick leathery wings that shielded him. Taking her chance for some action, Yuffie threw her shuriken at chaos but he caught it and threw it back at her. She narrowly avoided it as it flew past her head and stuck into the tree behind her. Reeve pulled it out and tossed it harmlessly to her.

"Wait! Stop! Don't hurt him!"" Cloud begged but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Cid thrusted his spear into his gut again, this time twisting it painfully, making Chaos roar. But Chaos had more strength then Vincent did when he was stabbed and was easily able to rip it out and throw it aside along with Cid. He flexed his blood red wings once more and rose into the air. Yuffie took one last chance to throw her shuriken and succeeded in piercing it into Chaos's chest. But much to her horror, he took off with it still in his flesh.

"OI! GIVE THAT BACK, THEIF!" Yuffie demanded.

"Look who's talking." Cid mumbled to Barret, remembering how she tried to steal all of their materia.

Cloud glared at hem angrily, "You bastards!"

Avalanche was shocked.

"Cloud…?" Barret asked, "What's wr-"

"SHUT UP! Go back to the Sierra and start it immediately!"

"But Cloud…" Yuffie squeaked.

"I said SHUT UP!"

Avalanche scuttled back to the Sierra without saying a word. Except for Tifa who was trying to calm Cloud down.


	6. Limit break

Getting any ideas on whats wrong with vinnie yet? If you still don't have a clue...you'll have to wait

---------------

Chapter 6: - Limit break

"YOU IDIOTS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!" Cloud shouted angrily at Cid, Barret and Yuffie, who were cowering.

"We w-were trying t-to t-teach Vincent wh-what happens when y-you betray A-Avalanche." Yuffie stuttered, cowering behind Barret.

"YOU DELIBERATLY DISOBEYED ME!" Cloud yelled, making Yuffie squeak.

"WHAT DID VINCENT DO? AND DON'T SAY 'HE TRIED TO KILL ME!'"

"But he did try to-"

"DON'T SAY IT!"

"Cloud, maybe you should lower your voice." Tifa suggested. Cloud sighed and sat down.

"You're right Tifa." He glared at the rest, "Don't think you're off the hook!""

"Why are you standing up for that traitor?" Cid scoffed.

"HE IS NOT A TRAITOR!" You don't know the pain he's suffered in the past and is still suffering to this very day!" he rested his head in his hands, "He could be dying now because of you three and we have no way to find him." Cloud said sadly. Just as the three started to feel guilty of their actions, Reeve had the courage to stand up and speak.

"I have a way of finding him. When I pulled out Yuffie's shuriken from the tree, I figured Chaos would try to make a break for it so I put a tracking device on her shuriken." He stated proudly.

"YOU DID WHAT TO MY SHURIKEN!" Yuffie screeched.

"Cid! Track that signal! And be quick about it!" Cloud ordered.

"Yeah, all right," He said while rolling his eyes, then he lowered his voice, "Ya' pain in the ass!"

---------------

"_This…is…as far…as…I…can take you…" _Chaos huffed, landing in the middle of a desolate land covered in snow.

"_Okay, I'll take it from here." _Vincent replied, but knowing that Chaos's injuries would transfer to him, he wouldn't last long. He just hoped he could stay alive long enough to find someone or something to take care of the cub. After the transformation, wounds, pain and exhaustion overwhelmed him, making fall to his hands and knees. Firstly, he grabbed a hold of Yuffie's shuriken and tugged it out of his chest. Then he wrapped the cub in his cloak again to keep it warm. It was going to be a hard journey, however short it may be, but he had no other choice. He forced himself to stand and trudged thought the snow. There were small amounts of snow falling from the sky, Vincent was thankful he didn't have to walk through a blizzard but he was still easy prey for any monster that might be lurking nearby and sniffing out the trail of blood he was leaving behind would be no task either. Without his gun, he was almost completely defenceless.

He didn't know how long he had walked for; maybe hours or maybe minutes, but his body couldn't take it anymore. It had already surpassed how long a normal man could take and now not even his demons could help him. He collapsed. The wolf cub wriggled out from underneath him and tried licking his face. It worked before, why couldn't it work now?

"I-I'm…sorry…cub………I've…reached…my…limits…" Vincent told the cub, using any tiny amounts strength to scratch it behind the ears. It yelped at him, saying that he would be okay. Even though Vincent had only been with the wolves for a short time, he had learned to understand their language. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't be okay. Temptation of eternal sleep was dragging him in. he couldn't resist………..crimson eyes began to close…

---------------

Cloud searched the cupboards for any potions, hi-potions, phoenix-downs…anything with healing properties. But they were very low on supplies and all he could find were three measly potions. He threw them in his bag none the less and returned to the control room.

"Where are we now?" He asked

"Directly above the signal." Reeve answered.

"Land the ship, Cid!' Cloud ordered.

"You want off? Then jump! Get off my back!" Cid scowled. He was a little pissed off at Cloud right now. Unfortunately, Cloud was even more pissed at him. Jumping up to the pilot's seat with sword in hand, he grabbed Cid by his collar and threatened, " If you want to live, I suggest to land this piece of crap and quickly because if I get down there and find Vincent dead, he won't be the only one!"

Cid gulped and hastily pressed the controls. Within seconds, they had landed and got off in record time. They found Yuffie's shuriken, but not Vincent. Even though it was snowing and his tracks had been covered, they could see a faint rail of blood and even if they lost that Nanaki could pick up his scent. After what seemed like hours later, they were still following the trail. Cloud was amazed Vincent had been able to walk this far in the state he was in.

"Are we there yet?" Yuffie asked for the fifty-billionth time.

"No." Tifa answered for the fifty-billionth time.

"Are we there yet?'

"No."

"Are we there yet?'

"No."

"Are we there yet?'

"No."

"Are we there yet?'

Cloud squinted his eyes to see off in the distance. He could hear faint yelps and see a body on the ground.

"Vincent!"" Cloud cried running the rest of the way.

"Are we there yet?'

Barret slapped her on the back of her head. She glared at him while rubbing her head.

"_If looks could kill…"_ She thought. They ran after Cloud. Cloud carefully turned Vincent over. He looked worse than the last time. A trail of blood ran from the corner of his mouth and even more blood gushed out of a gaping hole of a wound in his stomach and a slit in his chest. His skin was extremely cold and Cloud feared he was too late. Cloud shook his body, hoping to get a reaction. The only reaction he got was whimpering from the cub. He reached into his bag and pulled out a restore materia. It glowed brightly……..then fizzled out.

Cloud looked confused.

"I'm guessing you didn't know that even materia can reach its expirery date." Reeve said.

"Now you tell m." Cloud glared at Reeve while tossing away the 'expired' materia. Yuffie's eyes widened.

"Noooooooooo!" she bounded after it. In a desperate attempt, Cloud pulled out a potion from his bag. It wouldn't do much for his wounds but maybe it'll make him conscious……if he's alive. Cloud slowly poured the liquid down his throat. Cloud waited anxiously. The cub continued to lick his face. Cloud thought he was dead, this was all over, and then Vincent's eyes opened very slightly.

"C-l-o-u-d…….?" Vincent's voice was raw and he struggled to speak.

"Don't speak. Just save your energy." Cloud said. Vincent's body shuddered violently from the cold. He ignored Cloud's warning.

"W-hy…are…y-you…still…follow-ing me…?"

"You're my friend. I can't just let you die."

"But I…tried…to k-kill you…sev-eral times…"

"I don't need reminding."

Barret put his normal hand on Cloud's shoulder and pointed his gun-arm at Vincent.

"He's right Cloud. Be careful, he might try to attack you a again." Barret warned and gave a cold stare mixed with concern at Vincent. Deep down, now that he knew what Vincent had been going through, he didn't want him to die. He was just playing the tough guy act. Cloud swiped away Barret's hand and faced him.

"He's half-dead! How's he gonna attack me when he hardly has enough strength to breath?" He shouted, then turned back to Vincent and slid his arms behind his shoulders and under his knees, picking him up, "We have to hurry and get him back to the Sierra then take him to Midgar hospital." He turned to Reeve, "I'm sure the head of ShinRa can get us some extra fast service there."

Reeve grinned.


	7. Truth be told

HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLOOOOOOOOOO AAAAAAGGGGAAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNN!

Okay, the next few chaps might be shorter than usualcause i never expected this fic to go so far and i've hit a major writer's block. But i'll keep going somehow! Thanx for reviews!

(CHAAAAAAARGE! >leds an army off to destroy writer's block )

Chapter 7: - Truth be told

A couple of hours later, Avalanche had returned to the Sierra. Cid had started the Sierra seconds after they had boarded and now they were soaring across the sky, hurriedly heading for Midgar. Only problem was it was going to take at least all night to get there and Vincent couldn't survive on potions alone. Cloud sighed at this thought as he gently laid the limp form in his arms on a bed. Tifa came in soon after with their medical kit and an oxygen tank and mask.

"How's he doing?" She asked, quietly shutting the door behind her.

"Not good," Cloud answered, "He lost conscious on the way here. The most we can do for him is control the blood flow. He'll need to get professional treatment soon though; otherwise his wounds will become infected and he's already got a high enough fever."

Tifa looked down sadly. Cloud knew what she was thinking and it was not going to happen.

"He'll be okay, Tifa We just need to give him some time to recover." He reassured, making Tifa's expression brighten slightly. She handed him the tank and mask that she held and while Cloud rigged the two objects together, Tifa pressed a damp cloth to Vincent's wounds. With the two objects now fitted together, Cloud placed the mask over Vincent's mouth and nose and turned the valve on the tank, allowing oxygen to pass through a tube connecting the tank and mask together and into Vincent's lungs. It took a few minutes for the Oxygen to take effect but when it did Vincent could breathe easy and seemed more relaxed.

"That should keep him going for a while." Cloud said. But he saw Vincent's body tense up again. His claw moved to his right side gripped it weakly. Cloud frowned.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked, she turned to face him, "Do you remember me saying 'Vincent may be sick'?" Tifa nodded slowly as Cloud moved to the other side of Vincent's bed, "It's time to find out if he is!"

He pulled off Vincent's glove carefully so as not to awaken him.

Cloud frowned again, "I knew it."

"Oh my god…"Tifa hasped.

-----------------

"Oh man…" Barret moaned, hitting his head repeatedly on the table, "I'm a bloody moron!"

"You're a moron? I'm the one who cut him with my shuriken," Yuffie argued, edging away from the bloodstained shuriken as if some evil surrounded it, "At least your bullets didn't hurt him."

"But I'm the on who stabbed him…twice," Cid grimaced, "And I was torturing him the first time." He whined, remembering how he continued to jab his spear further into Vincent's body even though his cries rang in Cid's ears. His hands began shaking as he switched the Sierra to autopilot.

"I shoulda stopped…" He joined Barret in repeatedly hitting his head. Reeve glanced at them and frowned.

"It's bad enough that you've Vincent in hospital, don't put yourselves in there." He said. They continued despite Reeve's warning, making him rather annoyed.

"Cut it out or your gonna give yourselves a concussion!" He yelled. They stopped. Barret kept his head on the table while Cid let out a string of curses. The wolf cub, which Nanaki was taking care of, yelped and growled at Cid. It had a strong disliking to the pilot after what he did. Yuffie came up to it and picked it up, much to the cub's disliking. It didn't trust her either.

"What's wrong?" she asked kindly. The cub flailed about, trying to break free.

"I think it would be best to put him down, Yuffie." Nanaki said calmly.

"He?" Yuffie stared awkwardly at the cub, "hoe can you tell?"

"Instinct." Nanaki answered simply.

"So you're a little boy." She said playfully. She wasn't so nice when the cub bit her hand. She let out a loud curse and let go of him. The cub scurried away from them and down the corridor.

"&#$! Cloud said to look after the damn thing! We gotta find him!" Cid exclaimed, knowing that if they lost the cub Cloud would surely have their head on a pedestal. He jumped off the pilot's seat and ran after it. The cub could run fast, even with a broken leg. But it didn't take long to find him scratching at the door to the Vincent's room. As Cid bent down to pick him up, the door opened, allowing the cub to rush in past a pair of feet. Cid stood only to meet Cloud's menacing stare.

"And you want…?" He asked coldly.

Cid gulped, "We were…uh…" He couldn't find an excuse. Instead his gaze drifted to the whimpering cub. He was on the bed next to Vincent's bloodied form. Cid grimaced and made a small noise when he saw the state Vincent was in. Cloud raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean…'we?'" The tone of Cloud's voice told Cid that his patience was wearing thin. Cid glanced behind him to find everyone else had deserted him.

"Little #$&$ers!" He cursed under his breath.

"What do you want Cid!"

Cid turned back to Cloud, "Uh…I…uh…h-hows Vinnie doin'?"

Cloud's eyes narrowed, "Why do you care!" and he slammed the door in Cid's face. It was more than obvious that Cloud was still pissed at him. His mind told him to return back to the control room but his conscience told him otherwise. He knocked on the door with a shaky hand, sweat dripping off his face. Cloud once again opened the door, looking as imposing as ever.

"I get the point! I screwed up! Can you forgive me!" Cid said as quickly as possible so Cloud wouldn't shut the door on him. An awkward silence. Oh how Cid hated awkward silences. Cloud looked suspiciously at Cid it was not like him to ask for forgiveness. Then again this was a serious matter.

"You'll have to ask Vincent that…if he lives." Cloud growled. Cid somehow gained the courage to ask a very deadly question even though he knew the answer would be "Get the hell outta her!" or something like that.

"C-can I…see him…?"

Yet another awkward silence. The minutes ticked by, each as tormenting as the last. Cloud glanced at Tifa, who nodded. Then he moved out of the way to let Cid pass. Cid crept in cautiously, edging his way towards Vincent. He was only halfway across the room but he decided that it was close enough. He jumped when Cloud's hand pressed against his shoulder.

"Do not tell any of the others of this." Cloud said.

"Of what?" Cid asked, not taking his eyes off Vincent.

"We know what's wrong with Vincent." Tifa explained.

"Wasn't it his past?" Cid asked, slightly confused.

"Yes," She said, "…and no." Cid's attention was drawn to Tifa now. She looked pale.

"Take a look at Vincent's right arm." She explained. He hesitated and debated whether to look or not. Eventually his curiosity overwhelmed him and he slowly moved his gaze toward the said area.

"HOLY 7$!&&$#)49&)!" Cid shrieked, his habit of swearing getting the better of him. He glanced at Cloud and Tifa, trying to figure out whether this was some kind of trick, but neither of them were showing any signs of amusement. His gaze returned back to Vincent's arm. It was covered in grotesque markings, a sickening greenish-black in colour. It curled around his fingers and travelled up his arm, leaving miniscule amounts of skin showing from underneath. It seemed to go further up his arm and maybe to his shoulder but the sleeve of his shirt cut off the sight.

"I-it's not…It c-can't be…" Cid stuttered, trying and failing to form a straight sentence.

"Geostigma." Cloud answered, moving to the bedside, "It hurts…a lot!"" He grimaced as he remembered his own encounter with the disease, "It's been driving him mad with agony."

Silence followed. Questions buzzed in Cid's head. Why hadn't Vincent told them? Wasn't the disease wiped out when Kadaj disappeared? When and how did Vincent get geostigma? It's no wonder Vincent had lashed out a Cloud. It was all making sense now………….most of it anyway. But the more Cid knew the more he felt guilty.

"We're guessing he caught the stigma after everyone else was cured," Cloud answered as if reading Cid's thoughts, "Problem is we don't know to cure him, and his stigma is a lot worse than any I've sever seen. Before long…we could lose him."


	8. Silent night

Chapter 8: - Silent night.

Tifa's hand pushed aside Vincent's ebony hair and slipped under his red headband, pressing against his sweat-drenched forehead.

"His fever is getting worse," she stated and spun around to Cid, "could you get us a bowl of water and a cloth?"

Cid nodded slowly, still in shock.

"And remember not to tell anyone about this. It's best if we don't tell anyone…yet." Cloud added. Cid nodded again and headed for the door, opening it and shut it quietly behind him. He leant against it for a moment while wiping away the beads of sweat that dripped down his face.

"&#$#!" He cursed under his breath in frustration. When he found himself ready, he headed for the kitchen, trying to avoid contact with the rest of Avalanche.

"_Geostigma…"_ He thought, _"of all the diseases in the world, it had to be geo-f333in'-stigma!"_

HE turned on a cold tap and placed a bowl under the running water. While waiting for it to fill he searched through the cupboards for a suitable cloth and upon returning...

"GAAH!" He yelled in surprise, seeing Yuffie pop out of seemingly nowhere.

"Watcha doin'?" She asked curiously, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"None of ya' business! Get outta here!" Cid snapped.

"You look pale."

"Don't care! Get lost!"

"Why are you pale? Are you airsick?"

"No!"

"I am." She said, doubling over and clutching her stomach, feeling queasy. Cid rolled his eyes.

"Good! Get lost!" He repeated, pushing past her. He turned off the tap and, noticing the bowl was a little too full, tipped it on angle to let some water slip of the edges. He began to walk back to Vincent's room carefully so as not to spill the water, but stopped.

"Tell Reeve to ring the hospital and make sure a group 'o' doctors are ready as soon as we get there," He ordered and started walking again, "WE haven't got any time to waste!"

She stood there for a moment, wondering what Cid was up to, but shrugged that thought away and ran off to tell Reeve.

----------

When Cid returned to Vincent's room. Cloud was pouring the last half of his remaining potion into a cup. With some help from Tifa, he propped Vincent up into a sitting position. He removed the oxygen mask and slowly tipped the liquid into Vincent's mouth, which swallowed reflexively. Then they laid him back down to rest. He seemed to be breathing fairly well so they left the mask off to save the oxygen until he needed it again. Cid placed the bowl on the desk close to his bed. Tifa thanked him and wet the cloth. After ringing it out so that it was only damp, she removed Vincent's headband and pressed the cool cloth against his burning forehead.

"How long do you think he has?" " Cid asked, breaking the silence. Another silence followed as Cloud thought.

"Maybe 8 days at the most." He answered dully, wishing there was more time. Cid winced. Vincent couldn't die. Not after all they've been through. But there was no known cure for the stigma besides that strange rain. Suddenly, there was a stir from Vincent as the effects of the potion took place. The cub's ears pointed up at the sound of movement. Cid moved closer to the bed, eager to see if Vincent was awake or if it was just unconscious movement. But a pained moan and the slightest of crimson showing from underneath heavy eyelids told him otherwise. He coughed several times, eventually bringing up blood and leaving a trickle running from his mouth. Tifa wiped it away, alerting Vincent of their presence.

"W-what… .:cough:. … what a-re you… .:cough cough:. …do-ing? "He asked weakly, his voice was straining and his strength was failing from the lack of blood.

"Your sick and injured, Vincent. Don't use up your strength in speaking." She answered softly. He was barely able to keep his eyes open so he shut them.

"D-don't…pl-ay…g-ames…T-Tifa. Ha-have…to…stop…s-seph-i-roth…" And with that, he lost consciousness again. Cid choked. He didn't want to believe that he was one of the main causes of Vincent being in the state, the other being that damn stigma.

"I guess he hadn't regain consciousness after all. He was just delirious." Cloud concluded. The cub whimpered in disappointment and concern. He tried licking Vincent's face again, but to no avail.

"He's not gonna die, is he?" Cid blurted out in a small voice. He only half realised what he had just said. Cloud stared at the t pilot for a moment, surprised slightly at his sudden concern. But he didn't answer, nor did Tifa.

"I think I need a cigarette." Cid said, leaving the room and practically running to the outer deck, desperate to escape the horrifying scene behind him. He stopped on the deck and caught his breath while the cool air caressed his face. Finally calming down, he moved to the rails. As soon as he touched then, he imagined what Cloud must've felt, seeing Vincent jump overboard right in front of him and plummet to the ground, disappearing in the trees. He wasn't there when it happened, but he could feel the anguish and fear that Cloud felt at that time. His thoughts steadily grew heavier and heavier until Cid finally decided to drown them out with a cigarette. He fumbled with the small white stick and his lighter while his hands trembled from the heart-sinking experience. When a cigarette had been successfully lit, he shoved it in his mouth and took a long drag. But as unwanted thoughts crept back into his mind, moisture began to well up in his eyes and his breath started to quiver. He suddenly burst into tears, drowning himself in uncontrollable sobs.

----------

Yay! Finally found a way past the writer's block! A short chapter, i know, but there'll be more! I also changed the summery a bit if anyone noticed.

Thanx 4 reviews!


	9. Dawning hours

I am so sorry. This has taken forever to do and that's why it's so late. But here it is so enjoy!

Chapter 9: - Can it be worse?

The next morning arrived painfully slow. No-one had slept. Cloud and Tifa had tended to Vincent during the night to make sure he survived it, Cid remained outside on the deck, leaving the Sierra on autopilot and going through at least five packs of cigarettes, and the rest of Avalanche were too restless to sleep. Barret and Yuffie had stuck themselves in a corner, sitting with their arms around their legs, fearing what would become of Vincent. A dull atmosphere lingered in the Sierra but on a brighter note they were finally nearing Midgar. Reeve snapped out of his brooding trance and tore his gaze away from the window. His hand dived into his pocket and pulled out a mobile phone. After dialling the number for the hospital, he pressed it to his ear and waited for an answer.

"Midgar Hospital, emergency department, how may I help you?" answered a soft female voice.

"Hello, this is Reeve, president of Shinra." Reeve replied.

"President Reeve! It's an honour to hear from you." The nurse chirped before Reeve could continue, "What can I do for you?"

"A friend of mine has been severely injured. I fear he hasn't much time left," Reeve explained, his voice heavily filled with sorrow, "my friends and I are taking him to Midgar Hospital by air as we speak but we haven't a moment to lose. Could I ask of you to send a team of doctors to the air pad and be ready to help him upon our arrival?" He asked.

"Sure!" the nurse replied, "will that be all?'

"Yes and give the doctors my thanks in advance." Then Reeve hung up. His gaze returned to the window. The city of Midgar could be seen just ahead, maybe fifteen minutes away. But before he could be transfixed in brooding again, the sound of footsteps came from behind him. His attention turned to sees Cid coming from the hallway and position himself in the pilot's seat once more. Cad's eyes were red and puffy and he smelt heavily of cigarette. But even from these obvious signs, Reeve already knew why he was this way. He had heard him crying all night and it even brought himself to tears. He knew Cid would be in a bad mood right now so he didn't mention it. Cid had a strange way of showing emotion; this was just another way of showing sorrow and guilt.

"Oi, Barret! Get off ya' lazy ass and go tell Cloud we'll be landing soon!" Cid snapped, breaking the silence in the room. Without argument, Barret stood up and hastily set off. Yuffie realised she was alone and moved closer to Nanaki for company.

"Cid?" Yuffie's voice was a mere squeak. It was because her throat was tight. Cid looked up from the controls.

"You saw him, right?"

Cid only nodded. A disturbing thought filled Yuffie's mind.

"Is... he…is he still…alive?" This was one of those questions where you wouldn't be satisfied until you knew the answer, but also feared it. Cid nodded again. Yuffie felt slightly relived.

"How is he?"

Cid stayed quiet. Cloud's words came back into his mind; _"Do not tell any of the others of this." _He would keep his word; Cloud would tell them when the time is right. Yuffie didn't pressure Cid on the question, which Cid was thankful for, but she did ask one last one.

"He'll be okay, won't he?"

Cid thought for a minute. At first he thought he shouldn't answer, but Yuffie was a girl who liked to be reassured.

"Yeah, he'll be okay."

----------

"This tank is empty," Cloud said, studying the gauge on the oxygen tank, "is there another one around?"

Tifa shook her head, "No, I was lucky to even find that one." She answered with a sigh. Cloud gently pulled off the mask covering Vincent's face and tossed it onto a pile of blood-stained towels. Vincent stirred slightly when Cloud's hand accidentally brushed against his wounds, but it wasn't enough to wake him. Cloud slumped back into his chair beside Tifa.

"I can't believe Vincent didn't tell us about the stigma." Cloud said.

"He probably had good reason not to." Tifa replied though she felt Avalanche had a right to know. Then again, Vincent never really said much, only what he thought was needed, and that's why nobody really knew what was on his mind or how he felt. In a way, Vincent isolated himself from others and never opened up. Maybe he was always like that. Maybe he used to be an open guy, always smiling and laughing with his friends back in his generation thirty-two years ago before he was used as a tool for twisted science and thrown away like a failure. Or maybe it was because of Lucrecia. Tifa didn't know about her but she heard Vincent mention her a few times and every time that name escape his mouth Tifa could always see mix of emotions. Sadness, hurt and some kind of longing, like he didn't feel whole without her. Maybe she did something to him, or maybe something happened to her, and that's what had changed him. A knock on the door made Tifa return from her thoughts as Cloud moved to answer it. It was Barret and an immediate scowl appeared on Cloud's face, causing Barret to flinch and back away slightly.

"…Uh…w-we'll be landing soon." He stuttered, Cloud's scowl making him lose his cool. With a simple nod in reply, Cloud shut the door but not before Barret took an unwilling glance at Vincent. Cloud heard a thud from outside as Barret must have fallen to his knees or something but didn't take much notice of it. Instead, his attention turned back to Vincent. A small smirk grew on his face as a thought flickered in his mind. If Vincent was awake right now and able to speak he would surely be protesting the fact of going to a hospital. He could practically hear his voice now.

"_There is no way I'm stepping foot in that hellhole!"_

Loud knew he had a deep distrust of scientists and doctors of any kind and despised going anywhere near a lab or hospital. If you think the brave Vincent Valentine is afraid of nothing, put him near surgical tools and see what happens. Cloud's thoughts ended when a thud of the Sierra landing and the hum of the engines disappearing alarmed him. He slipped an arm under Vincent's knees and upper back and carried him out side with Tifa following behind. Even though Vincent was taller than Cloud, he was surprisingly light weight. The cub, realising the absence of warmth provided by resting close to Vincent, soon hurried after him. He tripped over a couple of times. It was not easy running with a broken paw. When Tifa noticed him she picked him up and cradled him in her arms. Though the cub didn't mind Tifa, he wanted to be with Vincent and protested by yelping and struggling. He only stopped when he saw the doctors hurriedly rush him to an operating theatre

Avalanche was left behind, looking completely confused on what to do. Reeve seemed to know where he was going though so they followed him and eventually found themselves in a small waiting room in the emergency department. Reeve motioned for them to sit before walking off to talk with the nurse behind the information counter.

"He'll make it, right Cloud?" Tifa asked, more of a statement tan a question. He turned to face her and found the whole Avalanche crew staring at him hopefully. Cloud remained silent though. He didn't know what lay in the future. He only knew it would be a tough battle to get there, whatever the outcome. Reeve returned soon after, breaking the awkward silence.

"The doctors are treating his wounds now. He should be okay in a few days." Reeve said, raising the spirits of some of the crew. But Cloud, Tifa and Cid had their doubts, knowing about the stigma. The doctors were in for a surprise.

"You'll need to give them a few hours to operate before you can see him." He added. Cloud nodded and returned his gaze to the floor.

"Yeah, thanks Reeve." Cloud said dully. Reeve frowned. He didn't understand why Cloud was acting this way.

"Are you alright, Cloud?" He asked. Before Cloud could answer, a small beeping was head. Reeve unclipped a pager from his belt and read the message.

"Hmmm. The doctors want me there for some reason. That'd odd." He said, but shrugged it off and clipped the pager back on his belt.

"I'll be back later. You guys have fun.' And with that he left. How someone could be that jovial at a time like this, Cloud didn't know. But Cloud sure didn't feel that way. He hated a crisis like this when a friend's life was at stake, he hated the feeling of helplessness and he hated how he felt it was his fault. He wished things could go back to normal. Wait, what was he thinking! What is normal these days? Calamities from the sky, using the planet's life for our own purposes, experiments on humans…that's not normal. When you think about it, nothing is normal.

"Uh…Cloud…"

Cloud looked up to meet Reeve. His face was pale and his jovial attitude long since gone. It was obvious he was bearing the burden of bad news.

"I…I think you should come with me." He said. Cloud and Tifa exchanged worried glances. Then Cloud stood up and followed Reeve through double doors marked "EMERGANCY" in red letter. They went past several patients on the way, some with serious burns, other badly wounded, and most unconscious. Eventually, Cloud and Reeve went down a corridor and through another pair of double doors, arriving in the operating theatre. Cloud cautiously followed Reeve to the centre of the room where Vincent was lying on an operating table. An oxygen mask was positioned over his face once more. The doctor's were just finishing cleaning his wounds but they were still gushing blood. Vincent's cloak and shirt had been taken off to allow the doctor's easy access to his wounds, but in doing so, revealed a much bigger problem. The geostigma that encased his right arm had also taken over Vincent's upper torso and right side. It was a much larger infection than Cloud had previously thought.

"Oh crap…" Cloud breathed out, "I didn't think the stigma was _that_ bad."

"So you knew about Vincent's stigma?" Reeve questioned. He now realised why Cloud was so down even when he told him that Vincent was going to be okay. But now he too had his doubts.

"I thought he would survive at least eight days before, but now we'll be lucky if he makes it through three."

"It doesn't matter how long he's got, what can we do? There's no cure." Reeve asked glumly.

'We'll make one!' Cloud claimed, slamming his fist into his open palm. .Reeve was stunned by Cloud's solution but what choice did they have. This was the only way.

"You'll have to hurry Cloud," Reeve said, putting his hand on Cloud shoulder. "You've only got a matter of days. After that there's no stopping his death."


	10. Just resting

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VINCENT!!!! Yes i'm back with two brand new chapters and on vincent's b'day (woohoo :)) thx 4 being patient with me and sorry bout all the cliffys. i don't mean to do them they just come. any way...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!

Chapter 10:- Just resting

(3 days remain)

Cloud returned to the waiting Avalanche crew. Each one of them hoped for good news and the expression on their faces demanded information. He sighed.

"I'm not going to lie to you guys," He began, choosing his words carefully so as not to freak they out, "Tifa, Cid, myself and now Reeve already know this but…" He paused and pondered the thought of telling them or not. Would it make them go into 'breakdown mode' and make things harder?

"What is it Cloud?" Yuffie asked. No, it wouldn't be right to keep them in the dark, Vincent was their friend too, and they deserved to know.

"Vincent…Vincent is…sick…in a way…" Cloud continued. He would tell them slowly and ease them into the situation.

"Whaddya mean, Spike?" Barret asked.

"Well, he's not in as good a condition as we thought he was…"

"He wasn't in a good condition at all." Yuffie argued, starting to get annoyed at the pace Cloud was going at.

"What are you trying to say?" Nanaki queried, tilting his head slightly. Though he suspected what Cloud was trying to say he was not completely sure.

"He's got…umm…" Cloud trailed off and hesitated.

"Out with it!" Barret cried raising his voice a little.

"HE HAS GEOSTIGMA!!" Cloud yelled. So much for letting it out slowly. He was frustrated with being interrupted so much that he just blurted it out. When he calmed down he realised he had said it so suddenly and looked at each one of the members. . Those that knew had turned their gaze on the floor but those that didn't had a look of shock on their faces.

"WHAT!!?" the uninformed crew members cried in unison.

"We need to keep our cool." Cloud said trying to calm them.

"KEEP OUR COOL!? HE HAS FRIGGIN' GEOSTIGMA!! HOW THE #$! ARE WE S'POSE TO KEEP OUR COOL!?" Barret yelled, unable to control the volume of his voice...

"I don't know how but we just have to. We only have about three days to cure him and we can't afford to waste any time." Cloud said. Barret slumped into a chair and held his hand in his hand. He shook his head, denying the inevitable truth, but ha knew of the fatal effects of geostigma.

"But there is no cure." He said glumly. Cloud glared at him. As he predicted, they were going into 'breakdown mode.' They still had a chance to save Vincent, as slight as it was, yet they were losing hope. They could save a world on the brink of destruction, but a mere disease is all it takes to stop them. Cloud was ashamed for Avalanche.

"So you're going to give up and let him die?" Cloud scolded. Disbelief formed on the crew's faces, but no-one had the heart to make eye contact with Cloud. They weren't strong enough, they couldn't carry this burden.

"Even if there was a cure it could take years to find it…it would be too late by then." Barret's voice was as glum as ever.

"I don't believe this!" Cloud scoffed, turning around so his back was facing them, "How can you give up! You're Avalanche! You saved the world! You're gonna let a disease stand in your way? Pathetic!" The crew was silent. They knew Cloud was right but they couldn't shake the helpless feeling they all shared. "Vincent needs us right now! The stigma is slowly killing him and we're the only ones who have a chance of saving him." Cloud's speech seemed to have no effect at all. Avalanche still remained sorrowful with Cid, Barret and Yuffie blaming themselves. Cloud also noticed Barret muttering quiet prayers under his breath. With a heavy sigh Cloud decided to go to plan B: Emotional Blackmail.

"Put it this way then," He started, gaining a little attention from the dull crew," If Vincent dies, he dies. We have a chance to save him but if he doesn't make it the burden of his death won't be so hard if we at least try. He'll know we tried and he'll be thankful for it. But if you just sit on your lazy asses and watch him die then you don't deserve to call yourself his friend!"

Silence. You could hear a pin drop from a mile away.

Cid was never one to contemplate things, he was more of a shoot-first-ask-questions-later type of person, yet here he was thinking over and replaying every word Cloud had just said. He was right. Right about everything. A friend doesn't run while another friend was in trouble, they stay and fight together, no matter the consequences. All this was just like one of those many battles they had on their quest to stop Sephiroth and just like those battles they would stick together, fight together and most importantly…win together. It was all in the line of work.

Cid scolded at himself, great, now he was getting sentimental.

"Sooooo…" Cid began, breaking the silence. Cloud turned around as all eyes turned on Cid.

"When do we kick the s#!t outta this stigma?"

Cloud smiled, Avalanche was back.

Before Cloud could answer though a voice behind him said, "Put that thought on hold, you have to visit Vincent first."

Cloud spun around and found a smiling Reeve standing behind him.

"The doctors have closed his wounds and taken him to the forth floor, room thirteen. You'll be glad to know he was regaining conscience but this during the operation so they had to put him under anaesthetic, of course." Reeve explained.

"Thanks Reeve." Cloud said.

-----------

Only mere minutes later, Avalanche followed Reeve to where Vincent was on the forth floor. It was a private room (curtesy of Reeve) with a window that could somehow see over the looming buildings of Midgar and show the vast ocean behind. In the centre of the side wall was the bed that Vincent rested on. For once he didn't seem to be in pain and, besides the occasional twitching of his now malfunctioning left arm, was resting peacefully and unmoving.. Even his breathing seemed regular, though aided with an oxygen mask. A network of bandages wound their around his entire torso and right arm, looking almost like a white shirt with only on sleeve (Vincent…in a white shirt? Now that was a drastic change from his usual black!) while his blood-stained shirt and cloak had been folded neatly and placed on the bedside desk. Cloud move closer to the bed with the rest following suit. The cub leapt out of Tifa's arms and onto Vincent's bed. He trotted over to the pillow, padded it with his paws and circling three times before finally getting comfortable next to Vincent's head and curled up into a ball, shutting his violet eyes.. Cloud guessed the cub needed rest too. It was only midday but even Cloud was feeling exhausted and he was sure the rest of Avalanche felt the same way. Though no matter how much he wanted to rest there was no time for it. There was work to be done…but maybe he'll just sit for a while. He pulled up a chair and sat, as did the others except for Reeve who said he had some work to do and would drop by later.

They waited patiently for the effects of the anaesthetic to wear off. Avalanche began to talk among themselves while Cloud immersed himself in thought. Eventually his head grew heavy. He rested it on the desk, using his arms as a 'pillow.' He wasn't going to fall asleep, he was just resting. He figured that since he was resting his head, why not rest his eyes too.? Just for a minute, he was not going to fall asleep. He yawned. Not falling asleep!!! Just resting…just…resting…


	11. Friends?

Chapter 11:- Friends?

(60 hours remain)

Zzzpt…krrck…zzzpt…

Sounds of sparking and electricity buzzed into Cloud's ears. He moved himself off the desk he was resting on, arms and neck straining from being in the same position for too long. He stretched his arms out and moved his head side to side to loosen the tense muscles. Looking around the room he noticed that he, Vincent and Cid were the only ones in there. Vincent was still asleep with the sleeping cub next to his head and Cid was tampering with his metal arm, trying to fix it (hence the electrical sounds). It was at that time that it dawned on Cloud. He had fallen asleep! His gaze hastily moved to the window. It was dark outside,

"How long have I been asleep for!?" Cloud shrieked, alerting Cid and disturbing the cub's slumber.

"'Bout nine hours, I'd say" Cid answered, continuing his work on Vincent's arm. Cloud cursed under his breath.

"Why didn't anybody wake me!?" Cloud cried. Neither of them noticed but Cloud's shrieking was disturbing Vincent. . His eyebrow twitched and his bandaged fingers moved slightly to the side..

"Tifa wanted ya' to sleep and beside, a herd of elephants wouldn't have woken ya' up."

"But I've just wasted a whole lot of time! I could've been working on a cure for Vincent!"

"Relax would'ja ! Everyone else has already started while you were sleeping." Cid explained. Cloud calmed a little, knowing that their search had begun, but he still felt guilty that while he slept everyone else was doing all the work.

"There!" Cid claimed proudly, setting his tools on the floor'" Good as new…well…it will be when Barret finishes the new metal casing." Cloud had to admit it. Cid was good with electronics and engineering…even if he does have a bad mouth and can be a pain in the ass sometimes..

",,,uunh…" Vincent groaned. Cloud's attention immediately turned to him, hoping to see him awake.

"Would you…mind…keeping…it down?" He asked wearily, voice muffled by the oxygen mask. He brought his bandaged hand up and gripped his aching head.

"Sure," Cloud replied, moving closer to him," Hoe do you feel?" A stupid question. Cloud knew that now that Vincent was awake he would undoubtedly be in a lot of pain with the constant throbbing of his wounds and the frequent burning of geostigma.

"Horrible." Vincent answered, just as Cloud had suspected. Vincent's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the room as he surveyed his surroundings. He soon came to realise where he was. A place he despised. His eyes narrowed.

"Why am I in a hospital?" He scowled, the loathing in his voice perfectly clear. Cloud only smirked and Vincent never got his answer. Instead he continued to scan the room with his crimson eyes while the cub licked his face, glad to see Vincent awake again.. Vincent eventually noticed Cid sitting in a chair next to Cloud and shuffled nervously, uncomfortable with the pilot's presence. Cid got the message and stood up

His work here was done so before leaving he said, "It's gonna be a long night. I'm gonna grab us some coffee." And then exited the room. Silence followed as Cloud and Vincent were left alone.. So many questions buzzed in Cloud's head, all of them needing answers, but he kept quiet . Vincent had only just woken up after being heavily drugged and operated on, he didn't need to be bombarded with questions right now. Maybe just one would suffice.

"Why didn't you tell us?" It was the most obvious of them all but it needed to be known.

"I could ask you the same thing." Was Vincent's answer

"That's not the answer I was looking for."

"I don't see how it differs." Vincent was right, Cloud knew that, but it still didn't answer him completely.

"So you think we wouldn't' notice if you just dropped dead all of a sudden?" Cloud retaliated, when Vincent didn't answer he added, "Or that we wouldn't care?"

It took a few minutes for Vincent to think, but then he said "I planned to leave Avalanche before that happened." This left Cloud dumbfounded, "I'll admit, having Avalanche hunting me down like a dog and wanting me dead wasn't part of my plan, but it soon came to work. That way I would die and none of you would care."

Cloud snapped. He slammed his fist on the desk beside him, startling Vincent and causing the cub to yelp at him.

"None of us would care!?" Cloud yelled, making the cub cower closer to Vincent, "How would we not!? Believe it or not, Vincent, you're our **friend** and nothing can change that! Those members of Avalanche who hunted you down were blinded by confusion and just wanted an excuse to find you!" He yelled, purposely not mentioning the names of 'those members of Avalanche.' For a moment Vincent eyes were locked onto the rage filled mako ones of Cloud., but then he turned away. He had not told anyone, but the word 'friend' hurt him too much to bear. A generation ago, he had friends, back when he was a Turk. But after a series of events that eventually lead to betrayal and murder, he rid himself of such things as friends. He did not think himself as Cloud's friend, more of a partner- a comrade – whatever you want to call it. Just not 'friend'

"What does it matter? Either way I'm going to die."

"No you're not. We're going to help you get through this." Cloud said, his voice softer and calmer now.

"And by denying it you're admitting it."

Cloud paused. Anything he said was only going to be twisted and manipulated into something else. Vincent was not in a talkative mood.

"Listen," Cloud started, choosing his words carefully, "I understand the p-"

"Understand?" Vincent cut in, "How can anyone possibly understand?"

He did it again! Cloud realised a straight conversation was _not_ going to happen anytime soon. He decided to give up and just sit in silence. He had just grabbed a chair and was about to sit down when Vincent suddenly cried out. His newly fixed metal arm darted out to his flesh one and gripped it so tightly that the claws almost drew blood.. The room was filled with commotion again as Cloud jumped back up and the cub yelped continuously.

"Vincent! What's wrong? Is it the geostigma?" Cloud asked fretfully. Vincent couldn't answer but gave an agonising yell of pain.

"Hang in there Vincent ! The pain will pass soon!" Cloud reassured. But it didn't, and the pain was overwhelming him, pushing him off the edge of consciousness . Vincent was down-and-out again seconds later but his arm still convulsed as the burning of geostigma surged through it.. Defeated, Cloud slumped back in his chair. This had been the worst surge of geostigma pain yet and Vincent had defiantly been weakened a lot more now. But this only made Cloud all the more determined to find a cure. He'd make sure Vincent survived. It was at this point that Cid re-entered the room carrying three foam cups of coffee.

No sooner did he walk into the room did he say, "Why do I get the feelin' I've missed somethin'?"


	12. Vampire?

_**Hey, guess what guess what!!**_

**_IIIII'MMMMM BAAAACK!!!_**

**_Yes, after 3 long years, I am not dead (at least not yet -cowers from angry mob of readers-...eep...). But between chapters 11 and 12 things got preeeeetty hectic in my end of the world; thus this story was lost in the abyss of my room. I recently discovered it under my bed again and thought what the heck, for old times sake. I didn't know anyone was still reading this and I hope my old readers come back. You guys are awesome!!_**

**_For the record, I'm thinking of re-writing the past chapters (and possibly re-thinking the summary, it doesn't quite go with my plot anymore). Believe me, I could do much better (I hope -.-). I also think I was a bit choppy on the details; some things just don't make sense when I think about it (I think I changed my idea of the plot halfway through and things got a bit messed up). I also have a habit of trying to say something, but not finding the right words for it and just messing up the whole sentence ^^;_**

**_Ah well, enough about me. If anyone is still reading, then I present to you..._**

Chapter 12:- Vampire?

[2 days remain]

Morning arrived, and with rested bodies and restored spirits AVALANCHE was full of life again and research on a cure was underway. With a little convincing from Reeve (and a little under-the-counter bribery), the doctor's had allowed the crew access to the records of previous geostigma patients, though what they found was of little use. All records were close to the same for each one; the only difference was some patients were recorded as deceased, whereas others stated the patient had made a miraculous recovery, though causes for this were unknown. This sparked a thought in Tifa. She, along with the rest of AVALANCHE, knew that the surviving patients had been cured by the healing rain created by Aeries' spirit. If some, even just a small amount, still remained at the church…

Tifa hurriedly ran to inform Cloud of her theory.

* * *

Tifa sat by Vincent's bedside, watching the irregular rise and fall of his bandaged chest. She hadn't seen the intensity of the stigma attack that occurred last night but she could clearly see the toll it had taken on Vincent's already weakened body. He had fallen into fever again, and as he slept beads of sweat rolled down his face. As she gently placed a damp cloth on his forehead the door opened and Cloud walked in, a small bag slung over his shoulder.

"Just came to say goodbye," he said, coming up to stand beside her, "I'll be leaving soon."

Tifa nodded and gave him a small smile. It was good to see her smile again, no matter how small, but it didn't last long. She turned back to her bedridden friend and her expression immediately saddened. It seemed every time she looked at him, or any of her friends, in this state she had to fight back tears.

"Are you alright, Tifa?" Cloud asked a concerned expression on his face.

Tifa nodded, "Just a little worried," she answered. There was a short moment of silence as Cloud put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be okay; we're going to save him." He assured her softly. Tifa stared into Cloud's mako blue eyes, into the flare of determination that dwelled within. She nodded once more.

"But first we need that cure!" He slipped his shades over his eyes, a common habit of his whenever he rode his motorcycle, Fenrir, "So I'd best be going." He started for the door, and stopped a few steps from the door, "Try not to worry too much. I'll call you once I reach the church." And with once last reassuring smile, he was gone.

Tifa smiled at Cloud's words. Even in the thickest of times Cloud always managed to keep his determination through the whole ordeal. This would be no different. She leaned back in her chair, continuing her silent vigil.

Though her mind wasn't at ease for long. She noticed a strained expression on Vincent's face. He was muttering words, too inaudible for Tifa to understand them, but she was sure she heard a mention of Sephiroth. Was he having some sort of nightmare about Sephiroth? Perhaps it was just an effect the stigma was having on his body.

Her thoughts were put aside as she heard the door open once more. She turned, half expecting Cloud to have forgotten something, but instead saw Yuffie entering, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Thought I'd stop by and visit the invalid," she said cheerfully, "Is he awake?"

Tifa shook her head. At the sound of Yuffie's voice, the cub's ears perked up. He growled and leapt off Vincent's bed, taking a protective stance between her and Vincent…well, as 'protective' looking as a small cub could muster.

"Oi! Listen you!" Yuffie commanded in a stern voice, "You'd better quit it with the growling! You wanna know why?"

The cub's growling lowered, but still remained constant

Yuffie brought her hands in front of her, revealing the bowl she was carrying, "I've brought a peace offering!"

The cub's ears pricked up again, this time out of curiosity and surprise, as Yuffie placed the bowl in front of him. He sniffed the contents, though appeared to still be suspicious. He eyed Yuffie one final time before taking a few small nibbles. There was a short pause before the cub realized just how hungry he was and began to wolf* it down.

Yuffie grinned, "Not so bad, is it?" she gloated.

"How did you managed that?" Tifa asked, amazed at how quickly the reluctant wolf cub relented.

Yuffie shrugged, "Just something Nanaki suggested. It's only a few meats and veggies. Simple really!" She leaned in closer to the cub ad grinned at him, "A little cub like you needs lots of good food to be healthy and to grow big and strong!"

"I'm impressed, Yuffie," a weary voice commented, "I didn't think you knew how to cook."

"Well, my dad knows a thing or two 'bout…hey, wait a minute!" She suddenly realized it wasn't Tifa who had just spoken. She quickly took her gaze toward Vincent.

"V-Vince!! You…uh…you're awake!" She stammered, jumping a little when Vincent's crimson gaze pierced her own. She froze on the spot, not expecting Vincent to wake up while she was till there and defiantly not expecting him to be complementing her. There was a long and awkward silence.

It was Tifa who broke the ice, who stood up and said, "I'm going down to the cafeteria, anyone want anything?" And when no response was made she headed for the door, "I'll take that as a no."

She closed the door behind her with a small click and began down the hallway to the elevator. _They'll need some time to sort things out, _she thought as she waited for the elevator.

* * *

_Dammit, Tifa!! Why'd you leave me!! _Yuffie cursed inwardly. Vincent and Yuffie were alone, and Yuffie wasn't yet prepared for a confrontation with him. After what she, along with Barret and Cid, had done to him, she wasn't sure how he'd react to her presence. She gulped nervously.

"Um…Vince…" He turned to her, his crimson eyes piercing into hers again, causing her to look away. She twisted her trembling hands in her shirt, feeling intimidated. She knew he wasn't intimidating her on purpose, it was just her reaction.

"I-I'm real sorry…for hurting you and all…" Yuffie apologized at length, "I don't mind if you hate me for it."

Vincent stared at her for a minute, noting the sincere remorse on her face. He couldn't help but smile inwardly at the normally hyperactive Yuffie being so serious all of a sudden.

"You're forgiven, Yuffie," he assured her, earning a look of surprise from the young ninja, "You were acting out of defense for Cloud. You, Cid and Barret had thought I betrayed you. I understand." At this point the cub had finished his meal and leapt onto Vincent's bed, wandering close to him for some attention. Vincent's expression softened as he gave the cub a soft scratch behind the ears, "I might have done something similar had this cub been hurt in the process."

Yuffie stared back at him, amazed at how calmly and logically he had made everything seem. Yet she still couldn't remove the feeling of guilt that had settled in her stomach.

"…Vincent…"She muttered, moisture welling in her eyes. She then did something completely unexpected; she ran up to his bed and threw her arms around him. The cub yelped in surprise and sprang out of the way before he was crushed. Vincent on the other hand was bound in a tight hug from Yuffie, cringing as pressure was applied to his wounds.

"You're a great friend, Vince! I don't want you to die!" she wailed, hugging him tighter which only caused Vincent to gasp in pain.

"Y-Yuffie…" he breathed, "…my wounds…!"

Yuffie's eyes widened as she realized what she was doing, immediately springing to her feet and relieving the pressure from his wounds "Ack! I'm so sorry!!"

"It's…okay…" he assured her between strained breaths. Yuffie looked at him with concern. She noticed he was struggling to breathe, and it worried her. Without a second thought she grabbed the respiratory mask from the hook on the wall and gently pushed it over Vincent's mouth and nose. He gratefully accepted it and breathed deeply, resting as the oxygen filled his struggling lungs.

"Thanks, Yuffie." He said once his breathing became regular once more. Yuffie gave him a broad grin.

"No prob!" she chirped, sitting down on the bed next to him. Vincent lifted himself into a sitting position, wincing as his body protested against the movement.

"Whoa! Maybe you should stay lying down. You need the rest." Yuffie suggested as she held on to his shoulders to support him.

"No, I'm fine. It will do me good to sit up for a while." He insisted, brushing her hands away lightly. He didn't want her, or anyone for that matter, to fuss over him. It made him feel too dependent and insecure – a feeling he didn't like. Nor did he like asking for assistance. Though, with the state he was currently in, he didn't have much of a choice. For now, he supposed he would just have to get used to it.

His body suddenly tensed as a fit of coughs escaped him. He pushed aside the respiratory mask and brought a bandaged hand to his mouth, holding it there until the coughing ceased. Yuffie, meanwhile, continued to hold onto his shoulders to steady him.

A disgusted expression swept over Vincent's face as he tasted the coppery taste of blood in his mouth Perhaps, just this once, he would put aside his independence and ask for assistance.

Just this once.

"Yuffie?" Vincent asked, finding it difficult to string this simple sentence together, "Would you….mind getting me some water? The taste of blood is not that pleasant."

Yuffie eyed him, a sly grin on her face. She could see how difficult it was for Vincent to ask for something as trivial as a glass of water. Although she was worried for his health, if Vincent could make light of the situation, then so could she. She was, after all, meant to be the hyperactive one.

Yuffie giggled, "I guess that proves you're no vampire!" she said as she picked up the plastic cup on the bedside table and took it to the sink.

Vincent could only give her a confused stare.

"Who's been calling me a vampire?"

Yuffie giggled again as she handed Vincent the cup, "Oh…no-one."

Vincent raised an eyebrow.

* * *

**_* -ahem- …no pun intended…XD_**

**I admit, I'm out of practice. And I know it's not much of a chapter to make up for the 3 year abscence. Perhaps, if I find I still have readers, I'll keep continuing this. It's not far from the end after all (possibly 3-5 more chapters....we'll see ^^)**

**Byyyyeeee (for now, hopefully ^^)**


	13. Hurry!

**-Well, now. I _could _make up some excuse for how busy I've been for the past year, what with the final year of school and all and the transition into the next lot of study (yeah, no break even _after _I've finished school -.-)...ooooor, I could also say that I sorta...just...forgot about this for a few months . *ducks rotten tomatoes* But as it happens I was browsing around fanfiction one night and I came across this and, shock horror, found that people were actually still reading this O.O**. **So of course, I had to whip this up in just over 2 days. Might not be great, and excuse any errors that might be tucked away here**, **but at least there's another chapter up right?...right? O.O *dodges more tomatoes***

Chapter 13:- Hurry!

[38 hours remain]

It was well past nightfall by the time Cloud reached the Sector 5 slums, where Aeris' church was tucked away among the piles of junk and rubble. Although it had not been that long ago since he was last here, every time he laid eyes on the old building it seemed to look more and more run-down. The door was barely clinging to its hinges, supported only by a rotting wooden frame, and there was not a single window left intact after years of wear and tear. Cloud ventured inside, leaving Fenrir in the doorway with its headlight illuminating the interior, and wasn't surprised to see it in a worse state than the outside of the building. The rows of chairs had been reduced to scattered piles of splintered wood amongst stone and rubble from the collapsed roof. He felt partly responsible for the extent of the damage done to this church, particularly the roof; his battle with Kadaj had taken a heavy toll on the worn out building, but somehow the persistent structure continued to stand and amidst the ruin, contrast to the despair usually associated with the slums, lay the golden bed of flowers . A symbol of determination.

A small smile swept over Cloud's face.. Despite run-down appearances there was a serene sense of security and warmth, freeing the mind from worries of loss. It was almost as if the flower girl's ethereal presence was beside him at that very moment, soothing his troubles. The blissful moment was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by a frown as Cloud remembered why he was here in the first place. During the drive to Sector 5 a lingering doubt had begun growing in Cloud's mind. It had been several days since the rain fell. Infected people had come and gone, using the water to heal their sickness, and now that Cloud thought about it, coupled with the natural effects of evaporation, he wasn't sure how much of the healing water remained, if any at all. He hurried to the flower bed, trying to push away such thoughts. He couldn't let AVALANCHE down now. He wouldn't! He wouldn't let Vincent slip away from them!

Nothing could describe the sheer joy Cloud felt at the sight of the life-saving liquid at his feet. The once waist-high pool had dwindled to nothing more than a small puddle nestled amongst the flowers, but it was enough. With this the stigma could be cured, Vincent was going to live! But there was no time to waste; he immediately pulled out a bottle from his bag and began scooping up the liquid, all the while punching numbers into his phone.

"Tifa! I've found it!"

* * *

Tifa lowered the phone from her ear after speaking to Cloud, her face beaming with the good news. On the other side of Vincent's bed Yuffie stared at her eagerly, leaning so far forward on her seat she could fall off with the slightest nudge.

"So? So?" she asked impatiently. She already suspected the answer, but with news like this she just _had_ to hear it. Tifa was teasing her with that broad grin and she felt like she was going to burst at the seams if she didn't hear it soon.

"C'mon Tifa, what did he say!"

Tifa giggled at the ninja's impatience and nodded, "He found it! He's on his way back with a bottle of it now."

A grin spread over Yuffie's face as she heard those words. She could barely believe it, Vincent was going to be okay after all. Before she could stop herself Yuffie was on her feet, bouncing around the room, cheering and laughing and otherwise causing a huge ruckus. The sight of her elation excited the wolf cub who began yelping to Yuffie's cheers, his tail wagging to and fro as his paws pattered around on the bed sheets.

"WOOOHOOO! I knew he could do it! I knew it! Yeah, Spikey, WOOOO!"

"Yuffie, calm down." Tifa managed through her own fit of excited giggles, "You're going to wake Vincent."

Yuffie stopped abruptly, sparing a quick glance at the sleeping gunman, "Oh right...whoops." She cleared her throat and straightened herself out, but nothing could wipe the joy off her face, giving away her barely contained excitement. She gave Tifa a sheepish grin, giving her a thumbs up once she was sure she hadn't disturbed Vincent from his sleep, and headed towards the door with a bounce in her step.

"I'll let the others know about the good news. Back soon, kay?" And with that she sped out the door and tore down the corridor to find the rest of AVALANCHE. Tifa could hear her cheering still even after the ninja bounded around the corner to the next corridor. She shook her head in amusement, wondering if the ninja realised just how many sick people she undoubtedly disturbed during her delighted rampage.

Tifa leaned back in her chair, allowing herself to relax for the first time in a few days as she monitored the sleeping form. Vincent had been sleeping soundly for a good few hours now, and Tifa was relieved to see him do so. Time was very quickly running out, and his frail body was becoming weaker with each passing hour. There had been times when she'd thought his breathing had stopped, that he was laying deathly still. Those times had made her heart stop in panic as she frantically tried to wake him, but each time had been a false alarm. Though she felt guilty from rousing him from his much needed sleep it comforted her to hear his voice, as weary as it may have sounded. He would assure her that he was fine, and they would sit and talk until Vincent became tired again. She smiled, remembering some of the conversations they had. She'd offered for Vincent to stay at 7th Heaven for a few weeks after he'd been cured, just until he recovered completely. He'd gone silent after that.

"_Tifa," Vincent had said slowly after a long pause, "I'm...not sure Cloud can-"_

"_He will." The words came out without warning, it had taken Tifa a second to realise she had said them. They must've sounded sterner than she realised as Vincent had been left speechless. She quickly softened herself and placed a reassuring hand on Vincent's arm, "He'll find a way."_

"And he did. Didn't I tell you he would?" She asked the gunman. Of course, her only response was the sound of his slow breaths. She couldn't help but smile again, seeing him sleep was such a peculiar sight..

She paused. Something caught her eye beneath the layers of bed sheets and bandages, just on the side of Vincent's neck against the pillow. It was probably just another false alarm; maybe paranoia was getting the better of her. But even so, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

Hesitantly, she lifted the covers back from Vincent's shoulders, taking care not to wake him. After the many false alarms before this the last thing he needed was to be woken up again. But she found that even with the covers back she still didn't have a clear view of...whatever it was she thought she'd seen. She would need to turn his head, no easy task without waking him up. She slowly placed her fingers under his jaw, carefully and gradually turning his head around to get a better view of his neck.

She felt herself freeze and a gasp escaped her throat at the sight of the gruesome black scars extending out from under the bandages, trailing up his neck and just beginning to curl around his jaw line. Those had not been there a few hours ago, she was sure of it. The stigma was spreading. Rapidly!

"T-Tifa?"

The weary voice had barely jostled her out of her stunned state. She was hardly aware that she was still holding Vincent's jaw, let alone that he was now awake again. It was only after he took hold of Tifa's wrist to remove her hand did she take notice.

"What's wrong?"

His crimson eyes were barely open and glazed over, and it seemed as if he was only half aware of his surroundings. For a moment, his tired expression revealed a small hint of worry. Tifa tried to smile at him, to reassure him that everything was alright. Then she caught sight of a sickly black ooze leaking out of the corner of Vincent's mouth. Her hands began to tremble with panic; this time, it wasn't a false alarm. She had seen this black ooze before from early victims of geostigma...right before they-

Vincent was suddenly wracked with a harsh fit of coughs. Shaken from her apprehensive thoughts she promptly reached for her phone, hitting the redial while steadying her ailing friend. Cloud answered almost immediately.

"Hel-"

"He's getting worse Cloud!" She tried to keep her voice level as she spoke but distress was clearly etched into her voice. The cub whimpered at the harsh sounds tearing past Vincent's throat, his ears flat against his head as he huddled closer to the shuddering form.

"Just keep him steady for a few more hours." Cloud instructed from the other end. Tifa could hear the roar of Fenrir in the background, its motors being pushed to their limits, "I'm going as fast as Fenrir can take me.'

"Please hurry!"

The line went dead on the other side, Cloud's focus needing to maintain on the road ahead of him. Tifa could only imagine the speeds he was pushing Fenrir to go at and silently hoped he wouldn't crash. AVALANCHE didn't need two deaths in a single night.

At that morbid thought, she suddenly realised Vincent's coughing had ceased. She glanced at him worriedly; his body had gone limp, exhausted, and his breathing had been reduced to short and haggard wheezes. She bit her lip anxiously.

"Please hurry Cloud..."

* * *

**-.- why does this make it look much shorter than in Microsoft word?**

**Ah well. Great to see some of my old readers again, and some new ones too :D Hopefully, you'll come back to see this chapter too. We're almost at the end now, and I really do want to finish this, even if it take me another 5 year or so .**

**Oh yes, and you may have noticed I changed the summary (again). Hopefully now, it ties in better with the story. And I'm still thinking of rewriting most of the story (I just found half of a re-written chapter one). Thoughts? Opinions?  
**


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